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LAW  AND  BUSINESS 

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WITH  NUMEROUS  FORMS  AND  BLANKS  FOR 
PRACTICAL  USE 


BY 

CHARLES   EVAN   FOWLER 

ii 

CIVIL   ENGINEER 

MEMBER  AMERICAN    SOCIETY   OF   CIVIL    ENGINEERS,  MEMBER    CANADIAN 
SOCIETY  OF  CIVIL  ENGINEERS,  MEMBER  SOCIETY  FOR  THE  PROMO- 
TION OF  ENGINEERING   EDUCATION,   LECTURER    UNIVERSITY 
OF  WASHINGTON,  PAST  PRESIDENT  PACIFIC  NORTH- 
WEST    SOCIETY     OF      ENGINEERS,      PAST 
PRESIDENT   SEATTLE   BOARD   OF 
PARK    COMMISSIONERS 


OF   THE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 


The  simplest  natural  objects  have  bearings  which  calculation  does  not 
touch,  and  appearances  and  relations  which  definition  fails  to  include.' 


Published    by  the 

McGraw-Hill    Book.  Company 


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Electrical  World  The  Engineering  and  Mining  Journal 

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GENERAL 


COPYRIGHT,   1900, 

BY    THE 

McGRAW   PUBLISHING   COMPANY 
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Stanhope  ipress 

F.    H.    GILSON     COMPANY 
BOSTON.     U.S.A. 


PEEFACE 


THE  matter  contained  in  this  book  is  the  result  or  elabora- 
tion of  a  series  of  lectures  delivered  to  the  engineering  stu- 
dents of  the  University  of  Washington  during  several  years 
past.  The  additional  matter  that  has  been  added  in  the  shape 
of  forms  of  contracts,  specifications,  and  blank  business  forms 
will  be  found  of  advantage  to  both  the  student  and  the  prac- 
ticing engineer,  and  it  is  hoped  that  the  entire  work  will  be  a 
valuable  addition  to  the  engineer's  library. 

It  is  sincerely  hoped  that  the  discussion  of  the  relation 
between  the  engineer  and  contractor  in  Chapter  I  will  result, 
in  many  cases,  in  a  better  feeling  between  the  engineer  and  the 
contractor  as  they  may  come  together  on  contract  work.  The 
writer  has  made  it  a  lifelong  study  to  further  the  good  feeling 
that  should  exist  between  them,  but  must  confess  to  having 
made  so  little  progress  as  to  despair  of  seeing  a  better  condi- 
tion of  affairs  result.  Yet  the  writer  is  convinced  that  by 
continually  keeping  at  it,  on  the  part  of  those  having  this 
matter  at  heart,  much  good  will  eventually  come  about. 

The  subject  of  ordinary  forms  of  contracts  is  one  on  which 
there  has  been  much  written,  and  is  a  subject  on  which  the 
engineer  should  be  well  posted  as  to  fundamentals.  In  addi- 
tion to  reading  the  standard  works  on  the  subject  of  contracts, 
it  is  very  easy  for  each  engineer  to  get  together  such  standard 
forms  as  are  valuable  and  file  them  in  shape  for  handy  refer- 
ence. It  is  believed  that  the  forms  given  herein  will  be  found 
of  much  use  to  everyone  as  a  basis  for  a  larger  collection. 

The  subject  of  ordinary  specifications,  as  treated  in  Chap- 
ter III,  is  intended  to  serve  as  a  discussion  of  the  anatomical 
structure  of  ordinary  specifications.  No  better  specifications 
are  to  be  found  in  the  world  than  those  in  use  by  the  great 

v 

195041 


vi  PREFACE 

railroad  systems  of  this  country;  and  practically  all  of  those 
published  by  the  engineering  journals  and  kept  on  sale  for 
general  use  are  of  the  best  of  their  respective  kinds. 

Specifications  of  the  War  and  Navy  Departments,  as  dis- 
cussed in  Chapter  IV,  are  models  of  concise  description  of  the 
work  to  which  they  refer,  although  it  is  best  that  the  engineer 
should  so  carefully  study  the  construction  for  which  he  is  to 
let  a  contract  that  nothing  is  left  to  the  judgment  of  the  bidder, 
although  this  is  not  always  possible. 

In  drawing  up  a  special  contract,  as  set  forth  in  Chapter  V, 
it  is  necessary  to  be  fully  conversant  with  all  of  the  contin- 
gencies that  are  likely  to  arise  on  the  work  in  question,  and  to 
cover  everything  as  fully  as  possible,  so  as  to  leave  as  small  a 
number  of  matters  for  dispute  as  may  be.  A  short  discussion 
is  given  of  the  principal  kinds  of  insurance,  and  the  engineer 
should  be  conversant  with  the  ordinary  forms  of  insurance  and 
ordinary  forms  of  policies.  The  fundamental  principles  gov- 
erning the  formation  and  operation  of  corporations  should  be 
fully  understood  by  the  engineer  and  the  contractor. 

The  inspection  of  engineering  work,  as  discussed  in  Chap- 
ter VI,  is  intended  to  cover  this  subject  in  only  a  general  way, 
and  each  one  engaged  in  contract  work,  whether  on  the  engi- 
neering or  the  contracting  side,  should  keep  a  loose-leaf  book 
with  all  the  data  necessary  for  the  inspection  of  each  class  of 
material  and  of  each  class  of  construction. 

The  subject  of  estimating  quantities  and  costs  is  the  largest 
subject  with  which  the  engineer  and  the  contractor  have  to 
deal,  and  while  numerous  books  have  been  published  on  the 
subject,  they  are  only  of  value  in  a  general  way,  and  are  to  be 
referred  to  with  great  caution,  particularly  as  regards  the  cost 
of  doing  work.  On  each  contract  undertaken  conditions 
are  different  from  anything  that  has  been  done  before,  and 
the  engineer  or  contractor  who  does  not  take  cognizance  of 
local  conditions  and  use  his  judgment  in  raising  or  lowering 
tabulated  costs  of  similar  work,  is  sure  sooner  or  later  to  come 
to  grief.  This  is  more  particularly  true  as  to  the  amount  of 
work  that  any  particular  piece  of  plant  will  do,  as  the  amount 


PREFACE  vii 

actually  done  is  very  often  only  a  fraction  of  what  is  guar- 
anteed by  the  makers  of  the  machinery,  due  to  local  causes  of 
which  they  have  no  knowledge. 

The  subject  of  bidding  on  work  is  discussed  in  Chapter  VIII, 
but  it  is  well  to  remember  that  the  very  successful  contractor, 
like  the  real  artist  or  real  musician,  is  born  and  not  made  to 
order.  While  you  may  become  acquainted  with  hundreds  of 
contractors,  you  will  only  run  across  a  few  in  your  lifetime 
who  are  fully  suited  to  the  business. 

Organization  of  work,  as  discussed  in  Chapter  IX,  is  gone 
into  in  a  very  general  way,  inasmuch  as,  in  every  case,  "the 
punishment  must  be  made  to  fit  the  crime,"  but  in  almost  every 
concern  there  is  a  useless  amount  of  organization,  or  red  tape, 
that  seriously  hinders  or  impedes  the  work. 

The  subject  of  Contract  Law  has  been  covered  in  Chapter 
X,  in  a  synopsis  or  outline,  which  has  been  gathered  from 
"  Clark  On  .Contracts "  in  the  Hornbrook  Series,  which  the 
reader  is  advised  to  add  to  his  library. 

The  subject-matter  of  the  entire  book  has  developed  largely 
as  a  personal  relation  between  the  writer  and  a  class  of  stu- 
dents, and  the  endeavor  has  been  made,  in  revising  and  enlarg- 
ing, to  remove  the  personal  element  as  much  as  possible.  It 
is  hoped  that  it  has  not  been  retained  to  the  extent  that  it 
will  be  obtrusive. 

CHARLES    EVAN    FOWLER. 
SEATTLE,  WASH., 
November,  1908. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.    THE  RELATION  BETWEEN  THE  ENGINEER  AND  CONTRACTOR 1 

II.    ORDINARY  FORMS  OF  CONTRACTS 10 

III.  ORDINARY  SPECIFICATIONS 33 

IV.  SPECIAL  FORMS  OF  SPECIFICATIONS 54 

V.    SPECIAL  FORMS  OF  CONTRACTS 88 

VI.    INSPECTION  OF  ENGINEERING  WORK 94 

VII.    ESTIMATING  MATERIALS  AND  THE  COST  OF  ENGINEERING  STRUC- 
TURES    106 

VIII.    BIDDING  ON  ENGINEERING  WORK 123 

IX.    ORGANIZATION  OF  CONTRACT  WORK 133 

X.    ESSENTIALS  OF  CONTRACT  LAW 142 

INDEX 163 


LAW  AND  BUSINESS  OF  ENGINEERING 
AND  CONTRACTING 


CHAPTER   I. 

THE   RELATION   BETWEEN   THE   ENGINEER   AND 
CONTRACTOR. 

IN  seeking  for  some  illustration  of  the  relationship  which  too 
often  exists  between  the  engineer  and  the  contractor,  no  more  apt 
parallel  comes  to  mind  than  the  relation  existing  in  an  old-fash- 
ioned horse  trade  between  two  horse  traders.  The  picture  is  a 
familiar  one  to  some  of  you,  no  doubt,  of  the  two  traders  with 
their  questionable  steeds,  watching  each  other  out  of  the  corners 
of  their  eyes,  while  each  makes  an  examination  of  the  other's 
horse.  All  of  the  tests  known  are  tried  to  see  if  the  horse's  eyes 
are  good;  his  teeth  are  examined  to  make  sure  of  his  age,  and 
the  examination  is  a  very  careful  one  at  that,  to  make  sure  that 
the  horse's  teeth  have  not  been  filed  up  for  the  occasion.  The 
horse  is  paced  around  to  see  if  it  is  string  halt  or  lame,  likewise 
trotted  a  distance  to  see  if  it  is  wind-broken,  run  down  hill  to 
see  if  it  is  stove  up,  and  examined  for  ringbone,  spavin,  and  all 
the  ills  that  horseflesh  is  heir  to.  Then  dickering  begins  as  to 
the  amount  of  boot  to  be  paid  by  one  or  the  other,  each  word 
and  action  indicating  the  distrust  that  the  one  horse  trader  has 
for  the  other. 

While,  perhaps,  the  engineer  sometimes  has  grounds  for  so 
treating  the  contractor,  owing  to  his  having  at  some  time  fallen  in- 
to the  hands  of  a  contracting  firm  that  did  not  treat  him  squarely, 
and  while  the  contractor  on  the  other  hand  has  reason  to  mistrust 
the  engineer,  by  reason  of  his  having  some  time  or  other  been  up 
against  a  too  exacting  engineer,  I  am  sure  that  a  great  deal  of 
the  trouble  that  is  often  found  to  exist  on  contract  work,  between 
the  engineer  and  contractor,  would  be  avoided  if  the  parties 
met  in  business  relations  with  less  suspicion  and  distrust  each 
of  the  other. 

1 


ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

As  to  some  of  the  fundamental  reasons  for  such  a  feeling,  it 
is  well  in  the  first  place  to  examine  the  education  of  the  engineer. 
Unfortunately  a  large  proportion  of  those  going  into  engineering 
practice  have  never  had  any  business  training.  Happy  indeed 
is  the  engineer  who  has  been  fortunate  enough  to  have  had  some 
years  of  business  training  prior  to  attending  a  university,  as  a 
very  large  proportion  of  engineering  work  entails  the  necessity 
for  the  carrying  out  of  considerable  business  in  connection  there- 
with. In  fact,  there  is  no  branch  of  business  with  which  it  is 
not  a  splendid  idea  for  an  engineer  to  be  more  or  less  conversant 
and  to  have  more  or  less  at  his  fingers'  ends.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
the  engineer  usually  graduates  without  any  business  training 
whatever,  having  spent  the  years  previous  to  his  college  work 
in  the  common  schools  and  high  school,  with  little  opportunity 
for  rubbing  up  against  business  affairs,  either  small  or  large. 
This  is  one  reason  why  a  great  many  engineers  are  being  so 
poorly  paid  for  the  services  rendered.  It  is  no  unusual  thing  to 
find  an  office  with  fifteen  or  twenty  engineers  and  draftsmen 
employed,  where  there  are  only  two  or  three  who  have  had  any 
business  experience,  the  training  of  the  majority  having  been 
entirely  along  the  lines  of  trigonometry,  analytical  geometry, 
calculus,  astronomy,  mechanics,  a  little  work  in  literature,  polit- 
ical economy,  and  the  engineering  studies  required  in  the  ordi- 
nary college  course. 

These  studies  are  all  very  well  in  their  way,  but  the  engineer 
who  is  a  good  accountant,  who  writes  a  good  hand,  and  who  has 
some  idea  of  business  principles,  has  a  great  lead  in  the  race 
over  his  fellows  when  starting  into  the  practice  of  any  branch  of 
engineering.  The  average  young  engineer  must  fully  realize  that 
for  the  first  year  or  so  his  services  are  of  questionable  monetary 
value.  One  of  the  writer's  assistants  for  many  years  objected 
very  strongly  to  the  number  of  new  graduates  that  were  taken 
into  the  office  every  spring,  saying  that  he  was  obliged  to 
practically  do  their  work  all  over,  at  least  the  assistance  and 
explanations  required  were  of  more  bother  than  their  work 
amounted  to.  This  would  be  much  changed  if  the  college 
graduate  had  a  reasonable  amount  of  business  training. 

While  referring  to  this  matter,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  tell 
how  the  new  graduate  is  often  received  by  the  practical  man 
when  he  comes  in  contact  with  either  the  practical  field  engineer 


RELATION  BETWEEN  ENGINEER  AND  CONTRACTOR      3 

or  the  practical  man  with  whom  he  finds  wrork.  The  writer's 
first  position  was  with  one  of  the  eastern  railroads  which  owned  a 
large  amount  of  coal  lands.  The  assistant  engineer,  or  transit- 
man,  was  a  man  who  had  worked  up  from  axe-man,  and  who  thor- 
oughly despised  the  sight  of  a  college  graduate.  Every  move 
made  by  a  new  man  was  severely  criticised,  and  problems  were 
constantly  brought  up  intended  to  stump  the  beginner  in  prac- 
tical work.  One  of  the  duties  of  the  office  each  month  was  the 
measurement  of  the  coal  taken  out  of  the  mines,  by  measuring 
up  three  dimensions  of  each  room,  and  then  the  office  work  of 
multiplying  each  set  of  three  dimensions  together  to  get  the  cubic 
feet  of  coal  removed,  which  result  was  afterwards  multiplied  by 
a  constant  to  arrive  at  the  number  of  tons.  As  this  assistant  had 
become  very  proficient  in  making  these  multiplications,  the 
writer's  attempt  to  expedite  the  work  by  using  a  slide  rule  was 
ridiculed.  But  by  the  use  of  a  reciprocal  scale  the  three  numbers 
could  be  multiplied  together  by  one  operation,  therefore  the 
practical  man  had  to  acknowledge  himself  defeated.  In  another 
instance  a  curious  turnout  problem  which  had  been  found  impos- 
sible to  solve  by  any  ordinary  method  was  proposed.  After  the 
solution  of  it  by  the  application  of  analytic  geometry  and  calculus, 
nothing  more  was  heard  of  anything  being  impossible,  and  so  far 
as  the  writer  was  concerned  this  particular  instance  was  a  final 
victory.  Contractors  are  wont  to  treat  young  engineers  with 
a  similar  disdain  because  so  many  of  their  ideas  are  purely 
theoretical.  In  recent  years,  however,  it  is  more  and  more  com- 
mon that  contractors  on  important  works  and  skilled  engineers 
of  large  contracting  firms  appreciate  the  fact  that  all  engineers 
must  get  a  start  and  gradually  become  acquainted  with  the  prac- 
tical side  of  work.  The  training  of  a  contractor  is  usually  of  a 
more  positive  character  than  that  of  an  engineer,  inasmuch 
as  he  learns  immediately  what  can  be  done  with  the  forces  of 
nature,  and  what  results  when  they  are  defied. 

The  engineer  must  remember  that  it  is  necessary  to  meet  a 
contractor  on  some  common  grounds.  When  the  engineer  is 
diplomatic  in  giving  his  instructions  and  suggestions,  the  con- 
tractor soon  learns  to  value  his  appearance  upon  the  work,  for  he 
finds  the  engineer  of  more  value  than  harm. 

A  large  piece  of  work  which  the  speaker  has  in  mind,  cost- 
ing nearly  one  million  dollars,  was  recently  carried  out  under  the 


4  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

direct  charge  of  a  young  engineer  of  six  or  eight  years'  experi- 
ence. While  careful  to  see  that  the  spirit  of  the  plans  and  spe- 
cifications was  complied  with  strictly,  he  rendered  such  signal 
service  to  the  contractors  that  they  became  fast  friends;  for  there 
can  be  no  question  but  that  the  assistance  so  rendered  the  con- 
tractor represented  the  difference  between  a  loss  and  a  handsome 
profit.  As  is  true  in  every  other  walk  in  life,  there  is  no  ques- 
tion that  contractors  are  met  with  who  are  constantly  seeking  to 
take  unfair  advantage;  yet  it  should  be  a  satisfaction  to  both 
engineers  and  contractors  to  be  able  to  point  to  works  executed 
throughout  a  lifetime,  every  one  of  which  is  a  source  of  pride. 

On  the  other  hand  it  is  a  very  common  fault  with  engineers 
to  entertain  suspicions  of  all  contractors,  and  to  enforce  rigidly 
the  clause  of  a  specification,  where  changes  proposed  by  the  con- 
tractor would  very  much  improve  the  work.  An  engineer  should 
remember  that  it  is  out  of  the  question  for  any  specifications  to 
be  more  than  a  general  guide  in  many  respects,  as  is  recognized 
by  the  quotation  printed  on  the  cover  of  the  writer's  "  General 
Specification  for  Steel  Roofs  and  Buildings":  "The  simplest 
natural  objects  have  bearings  which  calculation  does  not  touch, 
and  appearances  and  relations  which  definition  fails  to  include." 

It  is  advisable  to  call  attention  at  this  point  to  the  fact  that 
a  great  deal  of  trouble  between  engineers  and  contractors  is  due 
to  a  lack  of  diplomacy  on  the  part  of  the  engineers'  inspectors. 

Large  and  important  contract  works  usually  have  a  resident 
engineer  in  direct  charge,  to  whom  are  referred  all  questions  of 
any  importance;  and  as  he  is  usually  an  engineer  of  considerable 
experience,  it  may  be  assumed  that  his  experience  with  men  and 
affairs  guarantees  a  reasonable  degree  of  diplomatic  ability. 
Where  the  work  is  of  medium  size  or  of  minor  importance,  an 
inspector  is  employed  who  is  not  an  engineer  but  a  man  with 
some  practical  knowledge. 

It  is  a  pleasure  to  state  that  in  an  experience  of  twenty  years 
it  has  been  the  writer's  good  fortune  to  find  these  men  as  a 
rule  very  agreeable  and  capable,  but  occasionally  one  is  met 
with  who,  while  he  may  have  a  good  knowledge  of  his  work,  has 
no  aptitude  for  getting  along  with  men.  The  result  in  such  a 
case  is  simply  to  " queer"  the  whole  job,  whereas  by  the  exercise 
of  a  reasonable  amount  of  diplomacy  all  would  be  harmony 
and  the  best  results  would  be  obtained  in  the  execution  of  the 


RELATION  BETWEEN  ENGINEER  AND  CONTRACTOR      5 

work.  Such  an  inspector  usually  fools  himself,  for  he  does  not 
get  as  good  work  as  the  contractor  is  ready  to  furnish.  The 
specifications  on  a  large  amount  of  steel  work  called  for  painting 
with  turpentine  asphaltum,  and  the  contractor  purchased  a 
supply  of  sixty-five-cent  asphaltum  in  barrels.  The  inspector 
was  incensed  that  he  had  not  been  consulted  before  its  purchase, 
although  no  particular  brand  was  specified.  He  demanded  that 
numerous  samples  of  various  brands  be  ordered  for  him  to 
select  from.  These  were  obtained,  and  tried  by  him,  with  the 
result  that  he  selected  a  thirty-cent  asphaltum,  and  the  better 
brand  already  bought  was  set  to  one  side.  Had  he  known  how 
he  cheated  himself,  you  can  imagine  he  would  have  appreciated 
that  it  is  well  to  have  faith  in  the  integrity  of  the  contractor 
until  such  a  time  as  he  has  proved  not  to  have  warranted  such 
confidence. 

While  we  read  a  great  deal  about  dishonest  inspectors,  you 
may  rest  assured  that  such  stories  are  often  greatly  overdrawn, 
as  you  will  find  them  no  worse  than  the  rest  of  mankind.  More 
harm  is  done  by  the  "too  honest  inspector,"  if  we  may  assume 
such  a  degree  of  goodness,  than  by  the  dishonest  one.  As  one  of 
our  prominent  engineers  said  to  the  writer  once  in  speaking  of 
such  a  man,  "He  is  so  honest  he  leans  over  backwards."  Later 
we  shall  discuss  the  clauses  in  specifications  which  are  so  drawn 
that  the  engineer  or  inspector  can,  if  he  so  wills,  cause  great 
monetary  loss  to  the  contractor  by  demanding  better  work  than 
was  contemplated.  Such  a  clause  would  be  one  which  required 
everything  to  be  furnished  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  engineer, 
after  all  had  been  specified  of  certain  brands  and  qualities.  The 
engineer  would  see  that  he  might  curry  favor  with  his  principals 
by  demanding  that  some  other  kind  of  material  be  used  "to  his 
satisfaction." 

The  engineer  should  endeavor  to  be,  in  so  far  as  is  possible, 
a  mediator  between  his  principals  and  the  contractor,  seeing  that 
the  one  gets  the  result  paid  for,  or  results  equally  as  good,  and 
that  the  other  gets  the  best  show  possible  to  make  money  in 
carrying  out  the  work  to  reach  the  desired  end.  Specifications 
should,  so  far  as  possible,  leave  the  method  of  doing  the  work  to 
the  contractor,  as  one  contractor  may  have  plans  and  methods 
different  from  those  known  by  the  engineer,  which  will  enable 
him  to  bid  much  lower  than  his  competitors. 


6  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

It  will  doubtless  be  understood  what  is  meant  when  the  state- 
ment is  made  that  often  the  engineer  leaves  too  much  in  the 
hands  of  his  young  assistant.  The  graduate  in  beginning  his 
professional  career  must  not  value  lightly  the  responsibilities  of 
his  work,  but  must  decide  all  questions  submitted  to  him  in  as 
judicial  a  manner  as  possible,  calling  upon  his  chief  for  instruc- 
tions and  information  whenever  any  doubt  exists.  Lest  some 
one  may  interpret  this  as  a  bid  for  temerity,  let  me  state  that 
such  is  not  the  case,  as  one  of  the  first  things  to  know  wisely 
is  your  own  powers,  taking  for  your  motto,  "  Nothing  is  impossible 
to  the  engineer."  Time  and  again  has  the  beginner  come  to  me 
with  the  declaration  that  this  or  that  feature  was  impossible;  but 
he  soon  learned  that  there  were  always  ways  to  accomplish  the 
most  difficult  engineering  feats. 

Some  clauses  and  features  of  specifications  which  make  trouble 
between  the  engineer  and  the  contractor  have  already  been  men- 
tioned, and  we  may  briefly  refer  to  some  other  points  which 
should  be  avoided  in  writing  specifications  for  any  work. 

All  requirements  should  be  sincere,  and  not  made  with  the 
view  to  becloud  the  minds  of  the  bidders ;  even  where  the  engi- 
neer is  sincere,  clauses  may  be  contradictory  and  thus  obscure 
the  intent. 

Some  engineers  are  entirely  too  general  in  their  specifications, 
so  no  two  bidders  on  the  work  will  bid  on  the  same  thing.  There 
is  danger  on  the  other  hand  of  being  too  exacting,  making  it 
difficult  for  some  bidders  to  comply.  Frequently  there  are  cases 
where  no  bids  at  all  are  received,  because  no  bidder  can  be  found 
who  is  willing  to  try  to  satisfy  so  exacting  an  engineer. 

There  may  be  clauses  so  drawn  as  to  be  not  only  exacting  but 
to  make  it  practically  impossible  for  the  contractor  to  comply. 

Mention  has  already  been  made  of  the  wisdom  of  leaving  the 
method  of  doing  the  work  to  the  contractor,  as  the  ideas  of  the 
engineer  as  to  plant  and  method  may  be  much  more  expensive 
than  necessary.  One  of  the  largest  bridges  which  have  been  con- 
structed in  this  country,  on  which  the  writer  was  engineer  to 
the  contractors,  was  let  to  a  firm  which  in  turn  sublet  half  of 
the  work  of  erection.  The  engineer  of  the  original  contracting 
firm  conceived  a  splendid  scheme  of  erection,  and  thousands  upon 
thousands  of  dollars  were  spent  on  the  plant.  Fortunately  the 
subcontractors  were  not  bound  to  this  method  on  the  duplicate 


RELATION  BETWEEN  ENGINEER  AND  CONTRACTOR      7 

half,  and  after  due  consideration  by  the  writer  of  these  expen- 
sive plans,  a  scheme  was  formulated  which  resulted  in  a  saving  of 
upwards  of  three  thousand  dollars  in  the  initial  cost  of  doing 
the  work. 

Clauses  which  in  any  case  favor  one  manufacturer  or  one 
bidder  as  against  others  should  be  avoided.  When  it  seems  neces- 
sary to  specify  one  particular  brand  of  material  or  supplies,  the 
bidder  should  be  allowed  to  supply  any  other  make  equally  as 
good.  In  saying  this,  it  is  not  the  intention  to  rehash  the  stereo- 
typed drug-store  joke  about  having  something  equally  as  good. 

It  is  frequently  possible  for  the  engineer  to  copy  portions  of 
an  old  specification  for  use  on  some  new  work,  and  too  often 
this  is  turned  over  to  a  clerk  or  stenographer,  and  the  engineer 
fails  to  check  over  the  new  copy,  with  the  result  that  clauses 
creep  in  which  do  not  belong  there  and  which  cause  trouble. 
This  is  apt  to  reflect  on  the  engineer's  ability,  and  in  some  cases 
on  his  integrity;  or  perhaps  litigation  may  result.  A  case  of 
this  kind  recently  occurred,  where  a  clause  copied  by  mistake 
required  the  contractor  to  furnish  expensive  work  which  he  had 
not  figured  on,  and  a  suit  resulted  at  great  expense,  in  which 
the  contractor  was  finally  victorious.  He  was  reimbursed  for 
the  more  expensive  construction,  as  the  clause  was  obviously 
extraneous. 

When  the  engineer  has  received  the  bids  and  some  are  found 
to  be  too  abnormally  low,  he  is  simply  inviting  trouble  for  himself 
and  for  his  principals  if  any  of  such  bids  are  accepted.  That  is, 
this  is  the  case  in  the  great  majority  of  instances,  although  there 
are  times  when  good  and  responsible  contracting  firms  take  work 
low  simply  to  keep  part  of  their  forces  employed. 

The  methods  of  payment  for  work  which  are  often  specified 
are  conducive  to  great  friction,  as  some  specifications  call  for  the 
retention  of  from  fifteen  to  thirty  per  cent  of  the  monthly  esti- 
mates until  the  completion  of  the  work.  Many  engineers  do  not 
appreciate  the  large  amount  of  capital  necessary  to  carry  on  a 
contracting  business,  or  they  would  limit  such  retention  to  not 
more  than  ten  per  cent.  When  good  bonds  are  furnished  by  the 
contractor  there  is  no  need  for  anything  to  be  retained  at  all; 
and  as  a  result  the  work  can  be  let  more  cheaply.  Not  content 
with  retaining  such  a  large  percentage  of  the  monthly  payments, 
some  engineers  make  their  monthly  estimates  abnormally  low, 


8  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

so  that  in  effect  often  fifty  per  cent  is  held  back.  Do  not  let  work 
to  a  contractor  from  whom  you  would  deem  it  a  necessity  to 
retain  more  than  ten  per  cent  of  the  monthly  estimates. 

Much  has  been  said  of  the  part  the  engineer  should  play 
toward  harmony  with  the  contractor,  and  it  will  not  be  amiss  to 
tell  some  of  the  things  a  contractor  should  do  to  the  same  end, 
as  some  readers  will  doubtless  be  contractors  or  contractors' 
engineers. 

The  contractor  should  take  a  contract  expecting  to  carry  out 
the  work  strictly  in  accordance  with  the  specifications,  or  at 
least  he  should  put  in  a  bid  on  this  basis,  and  then  submit 
supplementary  bids  based  on  any  changes  he  desires  to  make 
either  in  the  make-up  of  the  work  or  in  the  method  of  doing  it. 

Where  the  specifications  do  not  give  preference  as  to  method 
and  the  contractor  proposes  to  use  some  new  or  novel  method, 
or  one  which  he  may  have  doubts  about  being  pleasing  to  the 
engineer,  he  should  thoroughly  discuss  this  before  bidding. 

The  contractor  should  let  contracts  for  his  materials  with  the 
distinct  understanding  that  the  material  man  is  to  fulfill  the 
specifications  exactly  and  to  fully  satisfy  the  engineer. 

Should  the  contractor  let  any  subcontracts,  it  should  be  only 
to  thoroughly  reliable  parties,  or  such  as  he  would  be  satisfied 
to  have  execute  work  for  him  personally. 

Plant  of  the  best  kind  should  be  supplied,  and  if  old  plant 
is  used  it  should  be  put  in  good  repair.  This  is  always  best, 
as  good  plant  will  often  insure  a  profit  on  work,  where  the  use 
of  old  plant  would  cause  loss.  Where  new  plant  is  to  be  pur- 
chased, it  should  be  satisfactory  to  the  engineer,  everything  else 
being  equal. 

The  class  of  labor  employed  is  often  a  source  of  contention, 
but  any  trouble  from  this  source  can  be  avoided  by  employing 
only  the  better  class  of  help  of  every  kind,  as  you  will  find,  for 
example,  that  a  mechanic  skilled  enough  to  be  paid  $3.50  per  day 
will  do  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  per  cent  more  work  than  the 
average  workman  paid  standard  wages  of  say  $3.00  per  day. 

When  it  comes  to  foremen  and  subforemen,  the  matter  of  dif- 
ference in  wages  between  the  best  man  you  can  get  and  one  of 
average  ability  amounts  to  nothing  at  all  from  a  financial  point 
of  view,  as  compared  to  the  saving  in  the  carrying  out  of  the 
work,  the  handling  of  men,  and  the  satisfying  of  the  engineer. 


RELATION  BETWEEN  ENGINEER  AND  CONTRACTOR      9 

In  closing,  let  me  quote  the  foreword  of  Cooper's  Specifications, 
for  the  guidance  of  both  the  engineer  and  the  contractor: 

"The  most  perfect  system  of  rules  to  insure  success  must  be 
interpreted  upon  the  broad  grounds  of  professional  intelligence 
and  common  sense." 

Instead  of  the  modern  principle  of  "Do  others  before  others 
do  you,"  let  the  motto  be  the  one  which  has  won  out  from  time 
immemorial,  "Do  unto  others  as  you  would  have  others  do  unto 
you." 

In  carrying  out  this  principle  it  need  not  be  forgotten  that 
it  is  necessary  to  arise  early  in  the  morning  and  keep  wide 
awake  all  day  to  see  that  you  get  your  just  dues  and  that  tha 
other  fellow  doesn't  do  you. 

If  any  one  is  disposed  to  forget  that  "Honesty  is  best,"  don't 
let  him  forget  that,  at  the  very  least,  "Honesty  is  the  best  policy." 


CHAPTER  II. 

ORDINARY    FORMS   OF   CONTRACTS. 

BEFORE  taking  up  the  subject  of  ordinary  contracts,  it  is 
well  to  impress  upon  the  mind  of  the  reader  some  ideas  about 
business,  especially  the  necessity  for  promptness  and  punctuality 
in  keeping  appointments.  One  of  the  worst  things  about  some 
business  men  is  that  they  do  not  keep  their  appointments. 

When  going  into  business,  do  not  forget  when  an  appoint- 
ment is  made  to  keep  it.  A  business  man's  time  is  worth  money. 
An  engineer's  time  is  worth  money,  and  to  compel  him  to  sit 
around  for  a  half  hour  or  more  waiting  for  a  man  to  keep  an 
appointment  is  really  losing  money  for  him. 

I  would  first  call  the  reader's  attention  to  the  book  on 
Commercial  Law  by  Bolles,  which  is  a  good  short  treatise. 

The  first  thing  to  take  up,  in  connection  with  the  subject  of 
contracts,  is  the  definition  of  a  contract.  In  paragraph  four 
of  the  introduction  you  will  find  about  as  good  a  definition  of 
a  contract  as  you  can  find  anywhere.  It  is  as  follows:  "A 
contract  is  an  agreement  to  do,  or  not  to  do,  a  particular  thing." 

"Walker's  American  Law"  is  a  book  that  may  be  recommended 
on  this  subject.  One  cannot  do  any  better  for  law  reading  than 
to  buy  ' '  Walker's  American  Law. ' '  It  goes  into  the  fundamental 
principles  of  law  more  simply  than  Blackstone,  and  it  is  particu- 
larly applicable  to  this  country.  Now  Walker  gives  several 
definitions  of  a  contract.  He  says,  "  Writers  have  given  vari- 
ous definitions  of  a  contract,  of  which  I  shall  quote  but  three. 
Blackstone  says  it  is  an  '  agreement,  upon  sufficient  considera- 
tion, to  do  or  not  to  do  a  particular  thing.'  Powell  says  it  is  'a 
transaction  in  which  each  party  comes  under  an  obligation  to 
the  other,  and  each  reciprocally  acquires  a  right  to  what  is 
promised  by  the  other.'  The  French  definition,  taken  from  the 
civil  law,  is,  'a  convention  by  which  one  or  more  persons  obli- 
gate themselves  to  one  or  more  other  persons,  to  give,  or  to  do, 
or  not  to  do  something.' ' 

The  contract  marked  "A"  (page  17),  it  will  be  noted,  starts 
out  in  the  manner  usual  to  all  contracts.  The  first  clause  can  be 

10 


ORDINARY  FORMS  OF  CONTRACTS  11 

committed  to  memory  and  used  in  the  same  form  in  any  con- 
tract. After  the  words  "and  concluded"  always  insert,  "in 
duplicate  "  or  in  "triplicate,"  or  whatever  it  may  be,  according  to 
the  number  of  copies  executed.  You  will  always  know  then 
how  many  copies  of  a  contract  there  are  in  existence,  and  in 
case  of  a  suit  the  court  can  have  such  copy  or  copies  produced  in 
evidence  to  show  up  the  meaning  of  any  disputed  illegible  clause. 

The  contract  which  you  are  to  draw  up  is  with  the  Uni- 
versity Contract  Company  for  the  building  of  a  bridge  across  the 
Spokane  River,  in  Spokane  County,  and  should  read  like  this: 
"This  agreement  made  and  concluded  in  duplicate  this  25th  day 
of  July,  1904,  by  and  between  the  University  Contract  Company 
of  Seattle,  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the  State  of  Washing- 
ton, party  of  the  first  part,  and  the  Board  of  County  Commis- 
sioners of  Spokane  County,  State  of  Washington,  party  of  the 
second  part."  That  wording  is  probably  as  simple  as  any  that 
can  be  gotten  up  for  the  opening  clause  of  a  contract. 

It  is  very  usual,  as  will  be  found  in  Form  "B"  (page  18), 
after  the  first  statement  of  names,  to  designate  the  parties  to  the 
contract  by  some  shorter  term;  thus  the  party  of  the  first  part  in 
agreement  "B"  is  thereinafter  referred  to  as  the  "Contractor," 
and  the  party  of  the  second  part,  which  is  in  this  instance  the 
Washington  Western  Railway  Company,  is  thereinafter  desig- 
nated the  "Owner."  Then,  after  reciting  who  the  parties  are 
and  their  places  of  residence,  you  will  notice  Contract  "A" 
follows  with  a  clause  which  should  be  a  separate  paragraph. 
You  will  see  it  in  Form  "B"  (page  18),  beginning  "Witnesseth," 
which  is  the  usual  form  for  the  second  paragraph  of  almost  every 
contract,  and  which  is  the  form  to  be  kept  in  mind.  The  second 
clause  starts  out  with,  "  Witnesseth,  that  for  and  in  consideration 
of  the  payments  hereinafter  mentioned  the  party  of  the  second 
part  agrees,"  etc. 

One  of  the  first  things  required  in  a  contract  is  a  considera- 
tion. If  there  is  no  consideration  named,  the  contract  will  not 
be  valid,  so  when  there  is  no  large  consideration  in  money  it  is 
usual  to  put  in  there,  "For  and  in  consideration  of  the  payment 
of  'one  dollar'  or  'five  dollars, ' "  or  some  small  amount,  so  that  there 
is  a  consideration  stated,  even  if  it  is  no  more  than  one  dollar; 
but  if  it  is  a  contract  of  considerable  size,  and  one  in  which  sev- 
eral payments  are  to  be  made,  then  it  is  generally  stated  "For 
and  in  consideration  of  the  payments  hereinafter  mentioned." 


12  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

The  other  elements  of  a  contract  are,  in  the  first  place,  the 
two  or  more  parties  to  the  contract.  Very  often  we  have  a 
contract  with  three  parties  one  of  whom  has  to  give  assent  or 
to  approve  of  the  contract  between  the  other  two. 

The  next  item  is  the  subject-matter  of  the  contract  which 
must  be  a  lawful  one,  as  of  course  any  agreement  to  do  an  unlaw- 
ful thing  would  of  itself  render  the  contract  null  and  void. 

Then  comes  the  matter  of  agreement.  The  agreement  must  be 
a  mutual  understanding  between  the  parties,  and,  of  course,  a 
party  in  signing  the  contract  admits  the  understanding  of  all  the 
clauses,  so  that  makes  it  a  mutual  agreement  by  the  voluntary 
signing  of  the  contract  by  the  parties. 

The  following  data  can  be  used  and  an  entire  contract  "A" 
written  out,  filling  in  the  blanks.  In  giving  the  names  of  the 
parties  where  either  or  both  of  them  are  incorporated  be  careful 
to  state  that  it  is  a  corporation,  or  that  they  are  incorporated. 
In  the  bridge  contract,  have  the  name  of  the  Contracting  Com- 
pany, where  located  and  where  incorporated;  and  then  the 
"  Board  of  County  Commissioners  of  Spokane  County."  Fill  in 
the  next  blank  space,  that  the  work  is  to  be  done  according  to 
the  plans  and  specifications  submitted,  and  is  for  the  sub-  and 
superstructure  of  a  bridge.  The  location  of  the  bridge  can  be 
filled  in  as  being  over  the  Spokane  River,  and  it  is  to  have  two 
concrete  piers  as  shown  on  plan  "A."  It  is  a  very  wise  thing 
to  write  out  —  not  only  to  recite  that  there  is  to  be  two  concrete 
piers  —  but  to  write  out  and  specify  by  letter  or  number  on  what 
drawing  those  piers  are  shown.  All  drawings  and  plans  should  be 
fastened  to  the  contract  or,  preferably,  signed  by  the  parties  to 
the  contract,  ^and  thereby  made  a  part  of  the  contract  itself. 
There  is  a  steel  span  300  feet  in  length  shown  on  plan  "B,"  and 
two  approaches  fifty  feet  in  length  shown  on  plan  "C."  The 
work  is  to  be  completed  by  January  1,  1905.  As  data  for  filling 
in  these  descriptions  I  have  merely  jotted  down  the  bare  items, 
but  it  would  be  well  if  there  is  any  special  thing  in  regard  to  the 
site  of  the  bridge  which  should  be  specified  to  have  it  so  stated  in 
the  contract.  Of  course  the  contractor  is  supposed  to  go  and  see 
the  site  and  satisfy  himself  concerning  all  the  conditions.  The 
site  may  not  be  in  condition  to  allow  him  to  go  ahead  with  his 
work,  the  road  approaching  may  not  be  graded,  or  there  may  be 
some  obstructions ;  therefore  it  would  be  well  to  state  any  partic- 
ulars in  regard  to  this,  in  order  to  avoid  misunderstanding  by 


ORDINARY  FORMS  OF  CONTRACTS  13 

the  parties.  In  a  great  many  cases,  if  unavoidable  delays  come 
up,  the  contractor  cannot  be  held  for  damages  for  the  completion 
of  the  work  at  a  certain  time,  unless  there  is  some  specific  clause 
requiring  him  to  pay  damages  for  delays  beyond  a  certain  time, 
and  stating  also  that  he  would  be  entitled  to  a  bonus  for  the 
completion  of  the  work  if  done  in  a  shorter  time  than  that  speci- 
fied in  the  contract.  But  a  penalty  referred  to  as  " liquidated 
damages"  is  collectible.  It  is  usual  in  a  contract  for  a  bridge 
to  put  in  a  date  when  the  party  will  have  the  site  ready  for 
building  the  bridge,  so  then  in  that  clause  fill  in  that  the  site  of 
the  bridge  is  to  be  ready  by  August  1,  1904.  The  amount  of 
the  contract  price  is  $45,000.  When  writing  in  the  amount  in  a 
contract,  do  not  simply  set  it  down  in  words,  but  always  write 
in  the  amount  in  figures;  for  instance,  if  it  is  a  matter  of  ten 
dollars,  write  the  words  ten  dollars,  putting  the  amount  in 
figures  in  parentheses  between,  like  this,  Ten  (10)  Dollars.  In 
case  the  "Ten"  should  become  blurred,  there  will  be  no  question, 
for  the  figures  have  been  used  as  well.  This  contract  is  for  the 
sub-  and  superstructure  complete.  Very  often  there  is  nothing 
paid  to  the  contractor  until  the  work  is  completed ;  but  in  large 
contracts  the  payments  are  usually  made  on  monthly  estimates 
by  the  engineer  in  charge.  So  we  will  make  the  first  payment 
here  $10,000  on  the  delivery  of  the  steel  or  material  at  the  rail- 
road station  or  at  the  site  of  the  bridge.  In  addition  to  that, 
there  will  be  monthly  estimates  on  the  work,  and  any  balance 
that  may  be  due  will  be  paid  on  the  completion  and  acceptance 
of  the  work. 

The  last  clause  is  not  very  important,  but  in  work  of  this  kind 
it  is  usual  to  put  in  a  clause  that  in  case  the  site  is  not  ready 
for  the  work  a  certain  amount  shall  be  paid  on  delivery  of  trie 
iron  work  at  the  site;  therefore  "on  Spokane  River,"  can  be 
filled  in  there.  We  will  make  the  amount  of  the  payment  25  per 
cent  in  case  the  site  is  not  ready.  Then  the  contract  is  closed 
up  with  the  usual  clause,  "In  witness  whereof,  we,  the  parties, 
have  hereunto  set  our  hands,  the  day  and  year  above  written." 
Then  it  must  be  signed  by  both  parties,  and  for  each  party  by 
some  officer  or  official  who  is  authorized  to  sign  for  it,  usually 
by  the  president  or  vice-president,  or  by  both  the  president  and 
secretary  of  the  company.  In  this  case  it  would  be  the  president 
of  the  Contract  Company  and  the  chairman  of  the  Board  of 
County  Commissioners,  and  on  the  left-hand  side  there  should  be 


14  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

a  witness  to  each  signature,  so  that  in  case  of  any  dispute  as  to  the 
signatures  there  will  be  a  witness  or  witnesses  to  testify  to  them. 

It  is  obligatory  in  the  laws  of  some  of  the  states,  and  cus- 
tomary in  most  all  others,  that  a  seal  should  be  affixed  to  a 
contract.  On  a  seal  there  is  usually  the  name  of  the  company  or 
corporation,  the  date  of  incorporation,  and  the  word  "Seal." 
The  seals  should  be  imprinted  on  the  contract  over  the  signa- 
tures, after  it  is  signed. 

Before  taking  up  the  building  contract,  "B,"  it  may  be  stated 
that  Wait's  "  Engineering  and  Architectural  Jurisprudence  "  is 
very  complete  in  all  details  of  bidding  on  work  and  making  con- 
tracts, and  I  do  not  know  of  any  work  that  is  more  valuable  in 
this  line,  or  that  explains  more  fully  the  duties  of  the  architect 
and  engineer.  Almost  anything  you  want  to  know  about  such 
matters  can  be  found  "boiled  down"  under  the  different  head- 
ings in  the  table  of  contents. 

In  taking  up  building  contract  "B,"  it  is  well  to  know 
that  there  is  a  contract  published  for  buildings  which  is 
called  the  "Uniform  Contract,"  and  which  is  approved  by  the 
American  Institute  of  Architects.  The  form  that  is  reproduced 
here  is  probably  taken  almost  verbatim  from  that. 

In  a  building  contract  it  is  a  good  idea  to  make  the  contract 
in  triplicate,  one  copy  for  the  builder,  one  for  the  owner,  and  one 
for  the  architect. 

The  contract  to  be  written  out  according  to  Form  "B"  will 
be  dated  February  16,  1905,  and  is  between  the  Washington 
Western  Railway  Company,  a  corporation,  and  the  University 
Contract  Company,  also  a  corporation.  It  is  for  the  building 
of  a  station  at  Everett.  The  size  of  the  building  is  to  be  24  by 
80,  as  shown  on  the  plans  numbered  from  1  to  8  inclusive.  The 
foundation  is  to  be  completed  by  April  1,  1905.  The  idea  of 
inserting  a  date  when  the  foundation  is  to  be  completed  is  that 
there  is  often  a  necessity  for  it,  for  the  purpose  of  grading  or 
laying  tracks  around  the  station  that  could  not  be  done  until 
the  foundation  is  completed.  There  are  often  reasons  why  por- 
tions of  such  a  contract  must  be  completed  by  a  certain  time, 
so  that  other  contractors  may  be  able  to  perform  their  work. 

The  walls  and  the  roof  are  to  be  completed  by  June  1,  which 
allows  the  contractor  who  has  the  train  shed  or  other  outside 
work  to  build  to  get  started  on  his  contract.  The  entire  build- 
ing is  to  be  completed  by  August  1.  Add  to  paragraph  6:  "Pro- 


ORDINARY  FORMS  OF  CONTRACTS  15 

vided  that,  should  any  delay  be  occasioned  by  the  owner,  an 
equitable  extension  of  the  above  times  may  be  allowed." 

Under  clause  9  it  will  be  seen  that  the  contract  price  is  to  be 
$9,600.00.  The  payments  will  be  $1,000.00  on  the  completion 
of  the  foundation,  $4,000.00  more  on  the  completion  of  the  walls 
and  roof;  and  in  the  next  clause  it  is  provided  that  the  final 
payment  shall  be  made  within  30  days  after  the  contract  is  com- 
pleted. With  private  owners  it  is  usual  to  make  this  in  a  very 
short  time,  sometimes  within  5  or  10  days,  but  with  a  railway 
company  it  is  necessary  to  give  them  at  least  30  days,  and  I 
believe  the  Northern  Pacific  requires  60  days  in  which  to  make 
final  payment ;  but  we  will  make  the  final  payment  here  30  days 
after  completion.  There  are  some  blank  lines  under  the  llth 
clause,  in  which  should  be  recited  what  the  owner  shall  do  during 
the  progress  of  the  work  in  maintaining  fire  policies,  and  it  is 
best  to  add:  "This  contract  shall  become  of  full  force  and  effect 
upon  the  contractor  furnishing  the  owner  with  a  satisfactory 
bond  in  the  sum  of  $5,000.00,  otherwise  it  shall  be  of  no  force 
or  effect."  The  signatures  are  similar  to  those  in  contract  "A." 
On  the  part  of  a  railway  company  it  is  very  usual  that  contracts 
have  to  be  signed  by  several  officials,  sometimes  the  president 
or  general  manager  and  the  secretary.  So  this  can  be  signed 
Washington  Western  Railway  Company  by  John  Doe,  President, 
and  Richard  Roe,  Secretary. 

For  other  ordinary  forms  of  contracts  there  are  given  copies 
of  some  government  contracts.  In  one  sense  they  are  not  ordi- 
nary contracts,  as  they  are  contracts  for  special  pieces  of  work, 
but  on  the  other  hand  they  were  originally  made  on  printed 
forms  that  the  government  uses  in  all  cases. 

Form  D  has  the  name  of  the  Contract  Company  and  the  dif- 
ferent clauses  filled  in,  similar  to  what  we  have  just  discussed 
in  "A"  and  "B".  It  might  be  said  here,  although  it  is  a  sad 
thing  to  say,  that  government  contracts  are  the  most  unjust 
contracts  that  are  made  anywhere.  It  is  sad  that  while  it  is 
partly  true,  as  was  said  by  Lincoln,  that  our  government  is  a 
" government  of  the  people,  for  the  people,  and  by  the  people," 
yet  the  matter  of  contracts  could  not  be  worse  under  a  monarchy, 
on  account  of  the  forms  a  contractor  is  obliged  to  sign,  which 
are  simply  iron-clad  rules  in  the  government's  favor.  He  has  no 
redress  except  to  appeal  to  the  government  itself,  for  if  he  goes 
into  the  Court  of  Claims  in  Washington,  that  is  simply  another 


16  ENGINEERING  AND   CONTRACTING 

department  of  the  same  branch  of  the  government,  and  it  will 
decide  against  the  contractor  almost  every  time.  In  the  last  year 
or  so,  however,  it  has  been  made  possible  for  the  contractor,  in 
sums  under  $10,000,  to  bring  suit  into  the  United  States  Court. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  date  has  been  filled  in  in  "C," 
and  also  the  name  of  the  parties.  The  second  clause  commences 
"For  and  in  consideration  of  the  payments  hereinafter  specified," 
etc.  Always  remember  this,  so  that  in  writing  contracts  and 
specifications  with  no  books  to  refer  to  the  usual  form  will  be 
fixed  in  your  mind. 

This  is  simply  a  contract  to  construct  and  complete  in  all 
respects  a  wharf  at  the  navy  yard,  in  strict  compliance  with  all 
the  plans  and  specifications,  etc.  The  Navy  Department,  instead 
of  signing  the  plans  and  specifications,  attaches  them  to  the  con- 
tract and  makes  the  whole  into  a  little  book,  and  there  are 
usually  five  copies  signed. 

Another  thing  which  might  be  mentioned  is  the  time  specified  in 
which  to  execute  the  work.  This  is  ostensibly  three  months,  but 
it  takes  practically  30  days  for  the  contract  to  go  from  Seattle  to 
Washington  and  be  signed,  so  that  ordinarily  the  contractor 
has  in  reality  only  two  months  in  which  to  complete  his  work 
after  he  receives  the  signed  contract.  They  often  award  a 
contract  according  to  the  shortest  time  in  which  it  can  be  com- 
pleted, and  the  man  who  will  agree  to  complete  the  work  in  the 
shortest  time  will  usually  get  the  contract,  other  things  being 
right.  But  the  man  who  agrees  to  do  the  work  in  three  months 
often  overlooks  the  fact  that  it  takes  30  days  to  get  the  contract 
signed  and  returned  from  Washington. 

You  will  notice  that  the  price  is  $30,000,  and  that  the  contract 
provides  that  $40  per  lineal  foot  shall  be  added  or  deducted,  as 
contemplated  in  the  specifications.  It  is  almost  impossible  to 
get  this  unit  price  fixed  so  that  it  is  just  to  both  parties,  so  it  is 
usually  fairest  to  leave  it  to  be  estimated  by  the  engineer,  at  so 
much  for  cost,  with  the  profit  added. 

The  reason  is  that  it  might  be  necessary  to  add  a  piece  to  the 
wharf  where  the  piles  were  10  or  15  feet  longer  than  the  average, 
or  a  piece  might  be  left  off  where  the  piles  were  much  shorter 
than  the  average. 

I  think  it  is  not  necessary  to  go  into  any  discussion  of  Form 
"D,"  as  it  is  practically  the  same  as  the  others  I  have  given. 
Read  it  over  carefully  and  compare  with  Forms  "A"  and  "B." 


ORDINARY  FORMS  OF  CONTRACTS  17 

FORM  A. 
Standard  Bridge  Contract. 

21CJteententt  Made  and  concluded  this day  of   in  the 

year  of  our  Lord,  190 .  . ,  by  and  between 


Party  of  the  First  Part,  and 

County,  State  of 

of  the  Second  Part,  Witnesseth,  That  for  and  in  consideration  of  payments 
hereinafter  mentioned  to  be  made  and  performed  by  the  said  party  of  the 
Second  Part,  the  said  party  of  the  First  Part  doth  hereby  covenant  and  agree 
to  furnish  all  the  materials  and  construct  and  finish  in  a  good  and  workmanlike 

manner,  and  in  accordance  with  the  plans  and  specifications 

.   ,  the  .  .  .  for  : . . 


and  to  complete  the  work  by  the day  of 190 .  , 

completion  being  contingent  upon  strikes,  delays  of  carriers,  and  other  delays 
unavoidable  or  beyond  control. 

The  said  Second  Party  hereby  agrees  to  have  the  site  ready  for  the  erection 

of  said on  or  before  the day  of 

,  190... 

And  the  said  party  of  the  Second  Part  hereby  agrees,  upon  the  completion 
of  said  work  as  above  specified,  to  pay  to  the  party  of  the  First  Part  the  sum 
of Dollars  for 

Payments  to  be  made  in  the  following  manner,  viz. : 

Dollars  on  the  delivery  of 

the    finished    work  at  the    nearest    railroad  to   the    site,   and    the  balance 

Dollars  on  the 

completion  of  said  work  ready  for 

Provided:  That  in  case  said  Second  Party  fail  to  have  the  site  ready  for 
said  work  by  the  date  hereinbefore  specified,  said  Second  Party  hereby  agrees 
to  pay  said  First  Party  eighty  per  cent  of  the  contract  price  for  said  work 
on  the  delivery  of  the  finished  iron  work  at  site. 


1Fn  Mitne06  'Qdbereof,   We,  the  parties,  have  hereunto  set  our  hands, 
the  day  and  year  above  written. 


18  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

FORM  B. 
Building  Contract. 

ftbte  2l(Jteernent,  Made  in  duplicate  the day  of 

,  in  the  year  one  thousand  nine  hundred  and 

by  and  between 


party  of  the  first  part  (hereinafter  designated  the  Contractor),  and 


party  of  the  second  part  (hereinafter  designated  the  Owner), 

WITNESSETH,  That  the  Contractor,  in  consideration  of  the  fulfillment  of  the 

agreements  herein  made  by  the  Owner,  agrees  with  the  said  Owner  as  follows: 
First.     The   Contractor    under    the  direction  and   to  the  satisfaction  of 

Architects  acting  for  the  purposes  of  this  contract  as  agents  of  the  said  Owner 
shall  and  will  provide  all  the  materials  and  perform  all  the  work  mentioned  in 
the  specifications  and  shown  on  the  drawings  prepared  by  the  said  Architects 
for  the  .  . 


which  drawings  and  specifications  are  identified  by  the  signature  of  the  parties 
hereto. 

Second.  The  Architects  shall  furnish  to  the  Contractor  such  further  draw- 
ings or  explanations  as  may  be  necessary  to  detail  and  illustrate  the  work  to  be 
done,  and  the  Contractor  shall  conform  to  the  same  as  part  of  his  contract  so 
far  as  they  may  be  consistent  with  the  original  drawings  and  specifications 
referred  to  and  identified,  as  provided  in  the  first  section. 

It  is  mutually  understood  and  agreed  that  all  drawings  and  specifications 
are  and  remain  the  property  of  the  Architects. 

Third.  No  alterations  shall  be  made  in  the  work  shown  or  described  by 
the  drawings  and  specifications,  except  upon  a  written  order  of  the  Architects, 
and  when  so  made,  the  value  of  the  work  added  or  omitted  shall  be  computed 
by  the  Architects,  and  the  amount  so  ascertained  shall  be  added  to  or  deducted 
from  the  contract  price.  In  the  case  of  dissent  from  such  award  by  either 
party  hereto,  the  valuation  of  the  work  added  or  omitted  shall  be  referred  to 
three  (3)  disinterested  Arbitrators,  one  to  be  appointed  by  each  of  the  parties 
to  this  contract,  and  the  third  by  the  two  thus  chosen ;  the  decision  of  any  two 
of  whom  shall  be  final  and  binding,  and  each  of  the  parties  hereto  shall  pay 
one-half  of  the  expense  of  such  reference. 

Fourth.  The  Contractor  shall  provide  sufficient,  safe  and  proper  facilities  at 
all  times  for  the  inspection  of  the  work  by  the  Architects  or  their  authorized 
representatives.  He  shall,  within  twenty-four  hours  after  receiving  written 
notice  from  the  Architects  to  that  effect,  proceed  to  remove  from  the  grounds 
or  buildings  all  materials  condemned  by  them,  whether  worked  or  un worked, 
and  to  take  down  all  portions  of  the  work  which  the  Architects  shall  by  like 
written  notice  condemn  as  unsound  or  improper,  or  as  in  any  way  failing  to 
conform  to  the  drawings  and  specifications. 


ORDINARY  FORMS  OF  CONTRACTS  19 

Fifth.  Should  the  Contractor  at  any  time  refuse  or  neglect  to  supply  a 
sufficiency  of  properly  skilled  workmen,  or  of  materials  of  the  proper  quality, 
or  fail  in  any  respect  to  prosecute  the  work  with  promptness  and  diligence,  or 
fail  in  the  performance  of  any  of  the  agreements  herein  contained,  such  refusal, 
neglect  or  failure  being  certified  by  the  Architects,  the  Owner  shall  be  at 

liberty,  after  days'  written  notice  to  the  Contractor,  to 

provide  any  such  labor  or  materials,  and  to  deduct  the  cost  thereof  from  any 
money  then  due  or  thereafter  to  become  due  to  the  Contractor  under  this  con- 
tract; and  if  the  Architects  shall  certify  that  such  refusal,  neglect  or  failure  is 
sufficient  ground  for  such  action,  the  Owner  shall  also  be  at  liberty  to  termi- 
nate the  employment  of  the  Contractor  for  the  said  work,  and  to  enter  upon 
the  premises  and  take  possession,  for  the  purposes  of  completing  the  work 
comprehended  under  this  contract,  of  all  materials,  tools  and  appliances 
thereon,  and  to  employ  any  other  person  or  persons  to  finish  the  work,  and  to 
provide  the  materials  therefor;  and  in  case  of  such  discontinuance  of  the 
employment  of  the  Contractor  he  shall  not  be  entitled  to  receive  any  further 
payment  under  this  contract  until  the  said  work  shall  be  wholly  finished,  at 
which  time,  if  the  unpaid  balance  of  the  amount  to  be  paid  under  this  contract 
shall  exceed  the  expense  incurred  by  the  Owner  in  finishing  the  work,  such 
excess  shall  be  paid  by  the  Owner  to  the  Contractor,  but  if  such  expense  shall 
exceed  such  unpaid  balance,  the  Contractor  shall  pay  the  difference  to  the 
Owner.  The  expense  incurred  by  the  Owner  as  herein  provided,  either  for 
furnishing  materials  or  for  finishing  the  work,  and  any  damage  incurred 
through  such  default,  shall  be  audited  and  certified  by  the  Architects,  whose 
certificate  thereof  shall  be  conclusive  upon  the  parties. 

Sixth.  The  Contractor  shall  complete  the  several  portions  and  the  whole 
of  the  work  comprehended  in  this  Agreement,  by  and  at  the  time  or  time 
hereinafter  stated . . 


provided  that 


Seventh.  Should  the  Contractor  be  obstructed  or  delayed  in  the  prosecu- 
tion or  completion  of  his  work  by  the  act,  neglect,  delay  or  default  of  the 
Owner,  or  the  Architects,  or  of  any  other  contractor  employed  by  the  Owner 
upon  the  work,  or  by  any  damage  which  may  happen  by  fire,  lightning,  earth- 
quake or  cyclone,  or  by  the  abandonment  of  the  work  by  the  employees 
through  no  default  of  the  Contractor,  then  the  time  fixed  for  the  completion  of 
the  work  shall  be  extended  for  a  period  equivalent  to  the  time  lost  by  reason  of 
any  or  all  of  the  causes  aforesaid;  but  no  such  allowance  shall  be  made  unless 
a  claim  therefor  is  presented  in  writing  to  the  Architects  within  twenty -four 
hours  of  the  occurrence  of  such  delay.  The  duration  of  such  extension  shall 
be  certified  to  by  the  Architects,  but  appeal  from  their  decision  may  be  made 
to  arbitration,  as  provided  in  the  third  section  of  this  contract. 

EigMh.  The  Owner  agrees  to  provide  all  labor  and  materials  not  included 
in  this  contract  in  such  manner  as  not  to  delay  the  material  progress  of  the 


20  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

work,  and  in  the  event  of  failure  so  to  do,  thereby  causing  loss  to  the  Contrac- 
tor, agrees  that  he  will  reimburse  the  Contractor  for  such  loss;  and  the  Contrac- 
tor agrees  that  if  he  shall  delay  the  material  progress  of  the  work  so  as  to  cause 
any  damage  for  which  the  owner  shall  become  liable  (as  above  stated),  then  he 
shall  make  good  to  the  owner  any  such  damage.  The  amount  of  such  loss  or 
damage  to  either  party  hereto  shall,  in  every  case,  be  fixed  and  determined  by  the 
Architects  or  by  arbitration,  as  provided  in  the  third  section  of  this  contract. 

Ninth.  It  is  hereby  mutually  agreed  between  the  parties  hereto  that  the 
sum  to  be  paid  by  the  Owner  to  the  Contractor  for  said  work  and  materials 
shall  be  $ . . 


subject  to  additions  and  deductions  as  hereinbefore  provided,  and  that  such 
sum  shall  be  paid  in  current  funds  by  the  Owner  to  the  Contractor  in  install- 
ments, as  follows  : 


The  final  payment  shall  be  made  within days  after  this  contract 

is  fulfilled. 

All  payments  shall  be  made  upon  written  certificates  of  the  Architects  to 
the  effect  that  such  payments  have  become  due. 

If  at  any  time  there  shall  be  evidence  of  any  lien  or  claim  for  which,  if 
established,  the  Owner  of  the  said  premises  might  become  liable,  and  which  is 
chargeable  to  the  Contractor,  the  Owner  shall  have  the  right  to  retain  out  of 
any  payment  then  due  or  thereafter  to  become  due  an  amount  sufficient  to 
completely  indemnify  him  against  such  lien  or  claim.  Should  there  prove  to 
be  any  such  claim  after  all  payments  are  made,  the  Contractor  shall  refund  to  the 
Owner  all  moneys  that  the  latter  may  be  compelled  to  pay  in  discharging  any  lien 
on  said  premises  made  obligatory  in  consequence  of  the  Contractor's  default. 

Tenth.  It  is  further  mutually  agreed  between  the  parties  hereto  that  no 
certificate  given  in  payment  made  under  this  contract,  except  the  final  certifi- 
cate or  final  payment,  shall  be  conclusive  evidence  of  the  performance  of  this 
contract,  either  wholly  or  in  part,  and  that  no  payment  shall  be  construed  to 
be  an  acceptance  of  defective  work  or  improper  material. 

Eleventh.  The  Owner  shall,  during  the  progress  of  the  work,  maintain  full 
insurance  on  said  work,  in  his  own  name  and  in  the  name  of  the  Contractor, 
against  loss  or  damage  by  fire.  The  policies  shall  cover  all  work  incorporated 
in  the  building,  and  all  materials  for  the  same  in  or  about  the  premises  and 
shall  be  made  payable  to  the  parties  hereto,  as  their  interest  may  appear. 


Twelfth.  The  said  parties  for  themselves,  their  heirs,  executors,  adminis- 
trators and  assigns,  do  hereby  agree  to  the  full  performance  of  the  covenants 
herein  contained. 

1Tn  TDQitneSS  TKttbereof ,  the  parties  to  these  presents  have  hereunto  set 
their  hands  the  day  and  the  year  above  first  written. 

In  presence  of 


ORDINARY  FORMS  OF  CONTRACTS  21 

FORM  C. 

NAVY  DEPARTMENT. 
Contractor's  Copy  of  Contract  No.  1006, 

Gonttactt  made  and  concluded  at  Washington,  D.C.,  this  14th  day 
of  August,  A.D.  1902,  by  and  between  the  University  Contract  Company,  of 
Seattle,  acting  for  itself,  its  successors  and  legal  representatives,  party  of  the 
first  part,  and  the  United  States,  by  Mordecai  T.  Endicott,  Chief  of  Bureau  of 
Yards  and  Docks,  Navy  Department,  acting  under  the  direction  of  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Navy,  party  of  the  second  part, 

WITNESSETH,  That  for  and  in  consideration  of  the  payments  hereinafter 
specified,  the  party  of  the  first  part  hereby  covenants  and  agrees  to  and  with 
the  party  of  the  second  part  as  follows,  viz. : 

First.  That  said  party  of  the  first  part  will  provide,  furnish  and  deliver,  at 
its  own  risk  and  expense,  at  the  United  States  Navy  Yard,  Puget  Sound,  Brem- 
erton, "Washington,  all  the  necessary  materials,  labor,  tools,  and  appliances  for 
the  construction  and  completion  in  all  respects,  of  a  wharf  at  said  navy  yard, 
and  will  construct  and  complete  the  same  within  three  (3)  calendar  months 
from  the  date  of  this  contract,  in  strict  accordance  with,  and  subject  to,  all  the 
conditions  and  requirements  of  the  plans  and  specifications  appended  hereto, 
and  forming  a  part  hereof,  and  of  memorandum  also  appended,  for  the  sum  of 
thirty  thousand  dollars  ($30,000):  Provided,  That  forty  dollars  ($40)  per  linear 
foot  shall  be  added  or  deducted  for  additions  or  deductions  as  contemplated  in 
Item  4,  paragraph  96,  of  said  specifications. 

And  this  contract  further  WITNESSETH, 

Second.  That  the  party  of  the  second  part,  for  and  in  consideration  of  the 
foregoing,  and  for  and  in  consideration  of  the  faithful  performance  of  this  con- 
tract by  the  party  of  the  first  part,  duly  certified  to  by  the  inspecting  officer 
appointed  for  that  purpose,  and  the  acceptance  of  the  work  as  satisfactory  on 
the  part  of  the  United  States,  hereby  covenants  and  agrees,  to  and  with  the 
party  of  the  first  part,  that  there  shall  be  paid  to  the  said  party  of  the  first 
part,  for  the  full  and  entire  completion  of  the  said  wharf,  the  sum  of  thirty 
thousand  dollars  ($30,000) :  Provided,  That  forty  dollars  ($40)  per  linear  foot 
be  added  or  deducted  for  additions  or  deductions  as  contemplated  in  Section  4, 
Paragraph  96,  of  said  specifications,  upon  approved  bills  certified  and  drawn  in 
the  usual  manner,  and  payable  through  such  navy  pay  office  as  the  party  of  the 
first  part  may  elect,  within  ten  days  after  warrants  for  the  same  shall  have 
passed  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  in  the  following  manner,  viz. :  As  pro- 
vided in  paragraph  twenty -eight  of  the  specifications  aforesaid. 

Third.  That  it  is  mutually  understood  and  agreed  that  no  payment  to  said 
party  of  the  first  part  will  or  shall  be  made  by  the  United  States  for  or  on  ac- 
count of  this  contract,  except  those  payments  herein  specified,  and  that,  when 
not  otherwise  specifically  provided,  ten  per  cent  will  be  withheld  from  the 
amount  of  each  of  such  payments  as  security  for  the  full  completion  and  per- 
formance of  the  covenants  and  agreements  hereof  by  the  said  party  of  the  first 
part,  and  that  the  final  payment  made  hereunder  shall  include  the  amounts  so 
withheld. 


22  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

Fourth.  That  it  is  further  mutually  and  expressly  covenanted  and  agreed, 
and  this  contract  is  upon  the  express  condition  that  no  member  of  or  delegate 
to  Congress,  nor  any  officer  of  the  United  States,  naval,  military,  or  civil,  is,  or 
shall  be,  admitted  to  any  share  or  part  of  this  contract,  or  to  any  benefit  to 
arise  therefrom ;  and  that  any  transfer  of  this  contract,  or  of  any  interest 
therein,  to  any  person  or  party  by  the  said  party  of  the  first  part,  shall  annul 
this  contract  so  far  as  the  United  States  is  concerned. 

1Fn  Witness  TKUbCtCOft  the  said  parties  hereto  have  hereunto  set  their 
hands  and  seals  the  day  and  year  first  above  written. 

Signed  and  sealed  in  the 

presence  of  UNIVERSITY  CONTRACT  COMPANY, 


JOHN  JONES, 


John  Doe,  Pres.  and  Gen.  Mgr. 


JOHN  S.ITH.  THE  UNITED  STATES' 


By  MORDECAI  T.  ENDICOTT, 
Chief  of  Bureau  of  Yards  and  Docks, 

Acting  under  the  direction  of  the 

Secretary  of  the  Navy. 


FORM  D. 

WAR  DEPARTMENT  CONTRACT. 
(To  be  used  when  the  specifications  DO  NOT  call  for  liquidated  damages.) 

1.  ^TbfS  Agreement  entered  into  this  thirteenth  (13th)  day   of   May, 
nineteen  hundred  and  one,  between  John  Millis,  Major,  Corps  of  Engineers, 
United  States  Army,  of  the  first  part,  and  University  Contract  Company,  of 
Seattle,  in  the  county  of  King,  State  of  Washington,  of  the  second  part,  Wit- 
nesseth,  That,  in  conformity  with  the  advertisement  and  specifications  hereunto 
attached,  which  form  a  part  of  this  contract,  the  said  John  Millis,  Major,  Corps 
of  Engineers,  for  and  in  behalf  of  the  United  States  of  America,  and  the  said 
University  Contract  Company,  do  covenant  and  agree,  to  and  with  each  other, 
as  follows : 

That  the  said  University  Contract  Company  shall  dredge  a  channel  from 
deep  water  in  Shilshole  Bay,  Puget  Sound,  through  Salmon  Bay  for  a  distance 
of  about  six  thousand  (6,000)  feet,  subject  to  all  the  conditions  of  the  specifi- 
cations and  of  their  proposal. 

That  the  said  John  Millis,  Major,  Corps  of  Engineers,  U.  S.  Army,  for  and 
in  behalf  of  the  United  States  of  America,  shall  pay  the  said  University  Con- 
tract Company  for  such  dredging,  fifty  cents  (50c)  per  cubic  yard. 

2.  All  materials  furnished  and  work  done  under  this  contract  shall,  before 
being  accepted,  be  subject  to  a  rigid  inspection  by  an  inspector  appointed  on 
the  part  of  the  Government,  and  such  as  do  not  conform  to  the  specifications 
set  forth  in  this  contract  shall  be  rejected.     The  decision  of  the  engineer  officer 
in  charge  as  to  quality  and  quantity  shall  be  final. 

3.  The  said   University  Contract    Company  shall   commence  the  work 
herein   contracted    for  within  thirty  (30)  days  after  date   of   notification  of 
approval  of  the  contract  by  the  Chief  of  Engineers,  U.  S.  Army,  and  shall 


ORDINARY  FORMS  OF  CONTRACTS  23 

complete  the  same  within  five  (5)  calendar  months  from  such  date  of  com- 
mencement. 

4.  If,   in  any  event,  the  party  of  the  second  part  shall  delay  or  fail  to 
commence  with  the  delivery  of  the  material  or  the  performance  of  the  work  on 
the  day  specified  herein,  or  shall,  in  the  judgment  of  the  engineer  in  charge, 
fail  to  prosecute  faithfully  and  diligently  the  work  in  accordance  with  the  speci- 
fications and  requirements  of  this  work  contract,  then,  in  either  case,  the  party 
of  the  first  part,  or  his  successor  legally  appointed,  shall  have  power,  with  the 
sanction  of  the  Chief  of  Engineers,  to  annul  this  contract  by  giving  notice  in 
writing  to  that  effect  to  the  party  (or  parties,  or  either  of  them)  of  the  second 
part,  and  upon  the  giving  of  such  notice  all  payments  to  the  party  or  parties  of 
the  second  part  under  this  contract  shall  cease,  and  all  money  or  reserved  per- 
centage due  or  to  become  due  the  said  party  or  parties  of  the  second  part,  by 
reason  of  this  contract,  shall  be  retained  by  the  party  of  the  first  part  until  the 
final  completion  and  acceptance  of  the  work  herein  stipulated  to  be  done  ;  and 
the  United  States  shall  have  the  right  to  recover  from  the  party  of  the  second 
part  whatever  sums  may  be  expended  by  the  party  of  the  first  part  in  com- 
pleting the  said  contract  in  excess  of  the  price  herein  stipulated  to  be  paid  the 
party  of  the  second  part  for  completing  the  same,  and  also  all  costs  of  inspec- 
tion and  superintendence  incurred  by  the  said  United  States  in  excess  of 
those  payable  by  the  United  States  during  the  period  herein  allowed  for  the 
completion  of  the  contract  by  the  party  of  the  second  part;  and  the  party  of 
the  first  part  may  deduct  all  the  above  mentioned  sums  out  of  or  from  the 
money  or  reserved  percentages  retained  as  aforesaid ;  and  upon  the  giving  of 
the  said  notice  the  party  of  the  first  part  shall  be  authorized,  if  an  immediate 
performance  of  the  work  or  delivery  of  the  materials  be  in  his  opinion  required 
by  the  public  exigency,  to  proceed  to  provide  for  the  same  by  open  purchase  or 
contract,  as  prescribed  in  section  3709  of  the  Revised  Statutes  of  the  United 
States:    Provided,  however,  That  if  the  party  (or  parties)  of  the  second  part 
shall  by  epidemics,  freshets,  ice,  local  or  other  state  quarantine  restrictions, 
force  or  violence  of  elements,  or  other  unavoidable  cause  of  delay,  and  by  no 
fault  of  his  or  their  own  be  prevented  either  from  commencing  or  completing 
the  work,  or  delivering  the  materials  at  the  time  agreed  upon  in  this  contract, 
such  additional  time  may,  with  the  prior  sanction  of  the  Chief  of  Engineers,  be 
allowed  him  or  them,  for  such  commencement  or  completion,  as,  in  the  judg- 
ment of  the  party  of  the  first  part,  or  his  successor,  shall  be  just  and  reason- 
able; but  such  allowances  and  extension  shall  in  no  manner  affect  the  rights  or 
obligations  of  the  parties  under  this  contract,  but  the  same  shall  subsist,  take 
effect,  and  be  enforceable  precisely  as  if  the  new  date  for  such  commencement 
or  completion  had  been  the  date  originally  herein  agreed  upon. 

5.  It  is  further  expressly  understood  and  agreed  that  in  case  of  failure  on 
the  part  of  the  party  of  the  second  part  to  complete  this  contract  as  specified 
and  agreed  upon,  the  said  United  States  shall  have  the  right  to  recover  from 
the  party  of  the  second  part  all  cost  of  inspection  and  superintendence  incurred 
by  the  said  United  States  during  the  period  of  delay,  and  also  whatever  sums 
may  be  expended  by  the  party  of  the  first  part  in  completing  the  said  contract 
in  excess  of  the  price  herein  stipulated  to  be  paid  to  the  party  of  the  second 
part  for  completing  the  same.     And  the  said  party  of  the  first  part  may  deduct 


24  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

or  retain  all  the  above-mentioned  sums  out  of  or  from  any  money  or  reserved 
percentage  that  may  be  due  or  become  due  the  party  of  the  second  part  under 
this  agreement. 

6.  If  at  any  time  during  the  prosecution  of  the  work,  it  may  be  found  ad- 
vantageous or  necessary  to  make  any  change  or  modification  in  the  project, 
and  this  change  or  modification  should  involve  such  change  in  the  specifications 
as  to  character  and  quantity,  whether  of  labor  or  material,  as  would  increase  or 
diminish  the  cost  of  the  work,  then  such  change  or  modification  must  be  agreed 
upon  in  writing  by  the  contracting  parties,  the  agreement  setting  forth  fully 
the  reasons  for  such  change,  and  giving  clearly  the  quantities  and  prices  of 
both  material  and  labor  thus  substituted  for  those  named  in  the  original  con- 
tract, and  before  taking  effect  must  be  approved  by  the  Secretary  of  War : 
Provided,  That  no  payments  shall  be  made  unless  such  supplemental  or  modi- 
fied agreement  was  signed  and  approved  before  the  obligation  arising  from  such 
modification  was  incurred. 

7.  No  claim  whatever  shall  at  any  time  be  made  upon  the  United  States  by 
the  party  or  parties  of  the  second  part  for  or  on  account  of  any  extra  work  or 
material  performed  or  furnished,  or  alleged  to  have  been  performed  or  fur- 
nished under  or  by  virtue  of  this  contract,  and  not  expressly  bargained  for  and 
specifically  included  therein,  unless  such  extra  work  or  materials  shall  have 
been  expressly  required  in  writing  by  the  party  of  the  first  part  or  his  suc- 
cessor, the  prices  and  quantities  thereof  having  been  first  agreed  upon  by  the 
contracting  parties  and  approved  by  the  Chief  of  Engineers. 

8.  The  party  of  the  second  part  shall  be  responsible  for  and  pay  all  lia- 
bilities incurred  in  the  prosecution  of  the  work  for  labor  and  material. 

9.  It  is  further  agreed  by  and  between  the  parties  hereto  that  until  final 
inspection  and  acceptance  of,  and  payment  for,  all  of  the  material  and  work 
herein  provided  for,  no  prior  inspection,  payment,  or  act  is  to  be  construed  as  a 
waiver  of  the  right  of  the  party  of  the  first  part  to  reject  any  defective  work  or 
material  or  to  require  the  fulfillment  of  any  of  the  terms  of  the  contract. 

10.  The  party  of  the  second  part  agrees  to  hold  and  save  the  United  States 
harmless  from  and  against  all  and  every  demand,  or  demands,  of  any  nature  or 
kind  for,  or  on  account  of,  the  use  of  any  patented  invention,  article,  or  process 
included  in  the  materials  hereby  agreed  to  be  furnished  and  work  to  be  done 
under  this  contract. 

11.  Payments  shall  be  made  to  the  said  University  Contract  Company, 
monthly,  when  the  work  contracted  for  shall  have  been  accepted  during  the 
month,  reserving  twenty  (20)  per  cent  from  each  payment  until,  the  whole 
work  shall  have  been  accepted. 

12.  Neither  this  contract  nor  any  interest  therein  shall  be  transferred  to 
any  other  party  or  parties,  and  in  case  of  such  transfer  the  United  States  may 
refuse  to  carry  out  this  contract  with  the  transferrer  or  the  transferee,  but  all 
rights  of  action  for  any  breach  of  this  contract  by  said  University  Contract 
Company  are  reserved  to  the  United  States. 

13.  No  member  of  or  delegate  to  Congress,  nor  any  person  belonging  to, 
or  employed  in,  the  military  service  of  the  United  States,  is  or  shall  be  ad- 
mitted to  any  share  or  part  of  this  contract,  or  to  any  benefit  which  may  arise 
herefrom. 


ORDINARY  FORMS  OF  CONTRACTS  25 

But  this  stipulation  so  far  as  it  relates  to  member  of  or  delegates  to  Con- 
gress, is  not  to  be  construed  to  extend  to  this  contract. 

14.  This  contract  shall  be  subject  to  approval  of  the  Chief  of  Engineers, 
U.  S.  Army. 

1Ftt  IKHitnCSS  IHUbCtCOf,  the  parties  aforesaid  have  hereunto  placed  their, 
hands  the  date  first  above  written. 

Witness: 


JOHN  JONES,     as  to 


JOHN  SMITH,     as  to 


JOHN   MILLIS, 

Major,  Corps  of  Engineers. 

UNIVERSITY  CONTRACT  CO., 

JOHN  DOE,  Pres.  and  Gen.  Mgr. 


Executed  in  Quintuplicate 
Approved:  May  28,  1901.  G.  S.  GREESPIN. 


FORM  E. 
Standard  County  Form  of  Contract. 

Agreement,  made  and  entered  into  in  duplicate,  this 

day  of in  the  year  one  thousand  nine  hundred  and 

by  and  between 

party  of  the  first  part 

(hereinafter  designated  the  Contractor),  and 

County,  in  the  State  of  Washington,  party  of  the  second  part  (hereinafter 
designated  the  Owner), 

WITNESSETH,  That  the  Contractor,  being  the  said  part of  the  first 

part,  in  consideration  of  the  covenants  and  agreements  herein  contained  on  the 

part  of  the  Owner,  being  the  said  party  of  the  second  part,  do 

covenant,  promise  and  agree  with  the  said  Owner,  in  manner  following,  that  is 
to  say: 

First.  The  Contractor  shall  and  will  well  and  sufficiently  perform  and 
finish,  under  the  direction,  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  Board  of  County 

Commissioners  of County,  Washington, 

all  the  work  included  in  the  . . 


Second.  Should  it  appear  that  the  work  hereby  intended  to  be  done,  or 
any  of  the  matters  relative  thereto,  are  not  sufficiently  detailed  or  explained, 
the  Contractor  shall  apply  to  the  Owner  for  such  drawings  or  explanations  as 
may  be  necessary,  and  shall  conform  to  the  same  as  part  of  this  contract. 

Third.  Should  any  alterations  be  required  in  the  work,  a  fair  and  reason- 
able valuation  of  the  work  added  or  omitted  shall  be  made  by  mutual  agree- 
ment, and  the  sum  herein  agreed  to  be  paid  for  the  work  shall  be  increased  or 
diminished  as  the  case  may  be. 


26  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

Fourth.  The  Contractor  shall,  within  twenty-four  hours  after  receiving 
written  notice  from  the  Owner  to  that  effect,  proceed  to  remove  from  the 
grounds  or  premises  all  materials  condemned  by  the  Owner,  whether  worked 
or  unworked;  or  take  down  all  portions  of  the  work  which  the  Owner  shall 
condemn  as  unsound  or  improper.  The  Contractor  shall  cover,  protect,  and 
exercise  due  diligence  to  secure  the  work  from  injury,  and  all  damage  happen- 
ing to  the  same  by neglect  shall  be  made  good  by 

Fifth.  The  Contractor  shall  permit  the  Owner,  and  all  persons  appointed 
by  the  Owner,  to  visit  and  inspect  the  said  work,  or  any  part  thereof,  at  all 
times  and  all  places  during  the  progress  of  the  same,  and  shall  provide  suffi- 
cient, safe  and  proper  facilities  for  such  inspection. 

Sixth.  The  Contractor  shall  and  will  proceed  with  said  work,  and  every 
part  and  detail  thereof,  in  a  prompt  and  diligent  manner,  and  shall  and  will 

wholly  finish  the  work  according  to  this  contract,  on  or  before  the 

day  of in  the  year  one  thousand  nine  hundred  and 

,  and  in  default  thereof,  the  Contractor  shall  pay  to  the 

Owner Dollars  for  every  day  thereafter  that 

the  said  work  shall  remain  unfinished,  as  and  for  liquidated  damages,  the  same 
to  be  retained  from  any  sum  or  sums  due  or  to  become  due  the  Contractor  from 
the  Owner  on  account  of  this  or  any  other  contract. 

Seventh.  Should  the  Contractor  be  obstructed  or  delayed  in  the  prosecution 
or  completion  of  the  work  by  the  neglect,  delay  or  default  of  any  other  con- 
tractor; or  by  an  alteration  which  may  be  required  in  the  said  work;  or  by 
any  damage  which  may  happen  thereto  by  fire,  or  by  the  unusual  action  of  the 
elements,  or  otherwise  ;  or  by  the  abandonment  of  the  work  by  the  employees 
through  no  fault  of  the  Contractor,  then  there  shall  be  an  allowance  of  addi- 
tional time  beyond  the  date  set  for  the  completion  of  the  said  work  ;  but  no 
such  allowance  shall  be  made  unless  a  claim  is  presented  in  writing  at  the  time 
of  such  obstruction  or  delay.  The  Owner  shall  ascertain  the  amount  of  addi- 
tional time  to  be  allowed ;  in  which  case  the  Contractor  shall  be  released  from 
the  payment  of  the  stipulated  damages  for  such  additional  time,  and  no  more. 
Eighth.  The  Contractor  shall  not  let,  assign  or  transfer  this  contract,  or 
any  interest  therein,  without  the  written  consent  of  the  Owner. 

Ninth.  The  Contractor  shall  make  no  claim  for  additional  work  unless  the 
same  shall  be  done  in  pursuance  of  a  written  order  from  the  Owner,  and  notice 
of  all  claims  shall  be  made  to  the  Owner  in  writing  within  ten  days  of  the 
beginning  of  such  work. 

Tenth.  Should  the  Contractor  at  any  time  refuse  or  neglect  to  supply  a 
sufficiency  of  properly  skilled  workmen,  or  of  materials  of  the  proper  quality, 
or  fail  in  any  respect  to  prosecute  the  work  with  promptness  and  diligence,  or 

fail  in  the  performance  of  any  of  the  agreements  on part  herein 

contained,  such  refusal,  neglect  or  failure  being  ascertained  by  the  Owner,  said 
Owner  shall  be  at  liberty,  after  three  days'  written  notice  to  the  Contractor,  to 
provide  any  such  labor  or  materials,  and  to  deduct  the  cost  thereof  from  any 
money  then  due  or  thereafter  to  become  due  to  the  Contractor  under  this  con- 
tract; and  if  the  Owner  shall  find  that  such  refusal,  neglect  or  failure  is  suffi- 
cient ground  for  such  action,  the  Owner  shall  also  be  at  liberty  to  terminate 


ORDINARY  FORMS  OF  CONTRACTS  27 

the  employment  of  the  Contractor  for  the  said  work  and  to  enter  upon  the 
premises  and  take  possession  of  all  materials  thereon,  and  to  employ  any  other 
person  or  persons  to  finish  the  work,  and  to  provide  the  materials  therefor; 
and  in  case  of  such  discontinuance  of  the  employment  of  the  Contractor  he 
shall  not  be  entitled  to  receive  any  further  payment  under  this  contract  until 
the  work  shall  be  wholly  finished,  at  which  time,  if  the  unpaid  balance  of  the 
amount  to  be  paid  under  this  contract  shall  exceed  the  expense  incurred  by 
the  Owner  in  finishing  the  work,  and  all  demurrages  which  shall  have  occurred 
under  the  terms  of  this  contract,  such  excess  shall  be  paid  by  the  Owner  to  the 
Contractor,  but  if  such  expense  and  demurrage  shall  exceed  such  unpaid  bal- 
ance, the  Contractor  shall  pay  the  difference  to  the  Owner.  The  expense 
incurred  by  the  Owner  as  herein  provided,  either  for  furnishing  materials  or 
for  finishing  the  work,  and  any  damages  incurred  through  such  default,  shall 
be  ascertained  by  the  Owner,  whose  decision  thereon  shall  be  conclusive  upon 
the  parties. 

Eleventh.  And  it  is  hereby  mutually  agreed  between  the  parties  hereto 
that  the  sum  to  be  paid  by  the  Owner  to  the  Contractor  for  said  work  and 
materials  shall  be  .  . 


subject  to  additions  or  deductions  on  account  of  alterations  or  demurrages  as 
hereinbefore  provided,  and  that  such  sum  shall  be  paid  in  Warrants  on  the 

Fund  of County  by  the 

Owner  to  the  Contractor,  as  follows  : 


It  being  understood  that  the  final  payment  shall  be  made  within 

days  after  this  contract  is  completely  finished  and  accepted  ;  provided,  that  in 
each  of  the  said  cases  the  Contractor  shall  give  the  Owner  good  and  sufficient 

evidence  that  the  (R0ad0V  Bridge) is  free  from  a11  liens    and 

claims  chargeable  to  the  said  Contractor;  and  further,  that  if  at  any  time  there 
shall  be  any  lien  or  claim  for  which,  if  established,  the  Owner  or  the  said 

..  might  be  made  liable,  and  which  would  be 
(fcoad  or  Bridge) 

chargeable  to  the  said  Contractor,  the  Owner  shall  have  the  right  to  retain  out 
of  any  payment  then  due  or  thereafter  to  become  due  said  Contractor  an 
amount  sufficient  to  completely  indemnify  it  against  such  lien  or  claim,  until 
the  same  shall  be  effectually  satisfied,  discharged  or  canceled.  And  should 
there  prove  to  be  any  such  claim  after  all  payments  are  made,  the  Contractor 
shall  refund  to  the  Owner  all  moneys  that  the  latter  may  be  compelled  to  pay 
in  discharging  any  lien  on  said  premises,  made  obligatory  in  consequence  of 
the  former's  default. 

Twelfth.    It  is  further  mutually  agreed  between  the  parties  hereto  that  no 
certificate  given  or  payment  made  under  this  contract,  except  the  final  certifi- 


28  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

cate  or  final  payment,  shall  be  conclusive  evidence  of  the  performance  of  this 
contract,  either  wholly  or  in  part,  against  any  claim  of  the  Owner,  and  no  pay- 
ment shall  be  construed  to  be  an  acceptance  of  any  defective  work. 

Thirteenth.  And  the  said  Owner  hereby  promises  and  agrees  with  the  said 
Contractor  to  employ,  and  does  hereby  employ  said  Contractor  to  provide  the 
materials  and  do  the  said  work  according  to  the  terms  and  conditions  herein 
contained  and  referred  to,  for  the  price  aforesaid,  and  hereby  contracts  to  pay 
the  same  at  the  time,  in  the  manner  and  upon  the  conditions  above  set  forth. 

Fourteenth.  And  the  said  party  of  the  first  part,  for 

heirs,  executors,  administrators  and  assigns,  and  the  said  party  of  the  second 
part,  for  itself,  its  successors  and  assigns,  hereby  agree  to  the  full  performance 
of  the  covenants  herein  contained. 


1Tn  TKttftneSS  TKttbereof,  the  parties  to  these  presents  have  hereunto  set 
their  hands,  the  day  and  year  first  above  written. 


In  presence  of 


County, 

In  the  State  of  Washington. 

By 

Chairman  of  its  Board  of  County 
Commissioners. 


Attest: 


County  Auditor. 


Standard  Contract  of  Large  Railroad  Company. 

Date.  Bcjreement,  Made  and  entered  into  this  Fourth  day  of  January, 

1908,  between  Western  Construction  Company,  a  corporation, 
organized  and  existing  under  and  by  virtue  of  the  laws  of  the 
State  of  Nevada,  with  its  principal  place  of  business  at  Seattle, 
King  County,  Washington,  hereinafter  called  the  "Contractor," 

Parties.  party  of  the  first  part,  and  the  Puget  Sound  Railway  Company,  a 
corporation,  hereinafter  called  the  "Company,"  party  of  the 
second  part,  WITNESSETH : 

Work  and  The  Company  proposes  to  have  riprap  placed  alongside  its 

Location.  temporary  bridge  south  of  Everett ;  also  alongside  of  its  bridge 
Number  6,  North  of  Seattle. 

Covenant.  The  Contractor,  for  the  consideration  hereinafter  named, 

agrees  to  furnish  all  labor,  tools,  apparatus  and  material  neces- 
sary to  place  said  riprap  alongside  said  bridges,  as  directed  by 
the  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Company,  or  his  authorized  assistants. 


ORDINARY  FORMS  OF  CONTRACTS  29 

No  alterations  or  additions  shall  be  made  in  the  work  shown  Alterations, 
and  described  in  said  plans  and  specifications  except  upon  the 
written  order  of  the  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Company,  and,  when  so 
made,  the  value  of  the  work  added  or  omitted  shall  be  computed 
by  said  Chief  Engineer,  or  his  representatives,  unless  previously 
agreed  upon  in  writing  by  the  parties  hereto;  and  the  amount  so 
ascertained  shall  be  added  to  or  deducted  from  the  contract  price. 
The  decision  of  the  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Company  as  to  the  value 
of  the  work  added  or  omitted  shall  be  conclusive  upon  the  parties. 

The  Contractor  shall  commence  said  work  on  or  before  the  Date  Com- 
Fifteenth  day  of  January,  1908,  and  shall  complete  the  same  on  or  mencement 
before  the  First  day  of  May,  1908.  Completion. 

Time  is  material  and  of  the  essence  of  this  contract.    No 
extension  of  time  within  which  to  complete  the  same  shall  be  Extension  of 
granted  to  the  Contractor  for  any  cause  whatever,  unless  the  same  Time. 
is  made  necessary  by  the  fault  of  the  Company,  by  the  act  of  God, 
by  inevitable  accident,  or  by  strikes  of  the  employees  of  the  Con- 
tractor, in  which  case  the  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Company  may,  in 
writing,  extend  such  time.     The  period  of  such  extension  so  made 
necessary  shall  be  certified  by  said  Chief  Engineer  and  shall  be 
conclusive  upon  the  parties. 

The  Contractor  shall  and  will  carry  on  and  prosecute  the  said  Work  When 
work  in  its  several  parts  and  branches  in  such  manner,  at  such  *.     "*\ere 
times,  and  in  such  places  as  the  Company  may  from  time  to  time 
direct. 

The  Company  shall  have  the  right,  whenever  in  its  opinion  it  Stopping 
is  necessary  or  expedient  for  it  to  so  do,  to  stop  said  work  or  any  Work. 
part  thereof  or  reduce  the  force  employed  thereon;  and  the  Con-, 
tractor  shall  have  no  claim  for  damages  by  reason  thereof,  but 
shall  stop  the  work  or  reduce  the  force  as  the  Company  may  in 
writing  direct,  and  in  such  case  shall  be  paid  a  reasonable  com- 
pensation based  on  contract  price,   amount  of  work  done  and 
expenses  incurred.     Said  writing  shall  be  signed  by  said  Chief 
Engineer  and  delivered  to  the  Contractor    or  to  some  person 
representing  him  on  the  work  at  least  three  days  prior  to  such 
stoppage  of  work  or  reduction  of  force. 

In  case  the  Contractor  shall  at  any  time  refuse  or  neglect  to  Promptness. 
supply  a  sufficient  number  of  properly  skilled  workmen,  or  a 
sufficient  quantity  of  material  of  the  proper  quality  for  said  work, 
or  fail,  in  any  respect,  to  prosecute  said  work  with  promptness 
and  diligence,  or  fail  in  the  performance  of  any  of  the  covenants 
herein  stipulated  to  be  performed  by  the  Contractor,  the  Com- 
pany may,  at  its  option,  after  three  days'  notice  to  the  Contractor 
provide  all  such  labor  and  materials,  and  deduct  the  cost  thereof 
from  any  moneys  then  due  or  thereafter  to  become  due  to  the 
Contractor  under  this  contract.  If  in  the  opinion  of  the  Chief 
Engineer  of  the  Company  such  failure,  neglect  or  refusal  shall  be 
sufficient  grounds  for  such  action,  the  Company  shall  be  at  liberty 


30 


ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 


Unpaid 
Balance. 


Power  to         to  terminate  this  contract  and  to  enter  upon  the  premises,  and,  for 
Cancel.  ^G  purpose  of  completing  the  work  herein  mentioned,  take  pos- 

session of  all  materials,  tools  and  appliances  thereon,  and  employ 
any  other  person  or  persons  to  finish  said  work,  and  provide  the 
materials  therefor.  In  such  case  the  Contractor  shall  not  be 
entitled  to  receive  any  further  payment  under  this  contract  until 
said  work  shall  be  wholly  finished,  at  which  time  if  the  unpaid 
balance  of  the  amount  to  be  paid  hereunder  shall  exceed  the 
expense  incurred  by  the  Company  in  finishing  said  work,  such 
excess  shall  be  paid  to  the  Contractor;  but  if  the  said  unpaid  bal- 
ance shall  be  less  than  the  expense  of  completing  said  work,  the 
Contractor  shall  pay  to  the  Company  the  amount  of  such  deficit. 
The  expenses  incurred  by  the  Company,  either  for  furnishing 
materials  or  finishing  said  work,  and  any  damage  incurred  by  it 
through  such  default,  failure  or  refusal,  shall  be  certified  by  the 
Chief  Engineer  of  the  Company,  whose  certificate  shall  be  con- 
clusive upon  the  parties  hereto. 

The  Contractor  shall  pay  and  discharge  all  claims  for  labor 
and  material  furnished  to  him  for  said  work,  and  shall  protect  the 
Company  from  liens  therefor.  The  Company  may  from  time  to 
time  pay  any  such  claims  arising  in  favor  of  any  person  against 
the  Contractor,  and  may  retain  and  deduct  from  the  amounts  due 
to  the  Contractor,  and  as  they  become  due  under  this  contract, 
the  sums  so  paid  in  settlement  and  discharge  of  such  claims.  The 
receipts  of  the  persons  holding  such  claims  shall  be  equivalent  to 
the  receipts  of  the  Contractor. 

Said  work  shall  at  all  times  during  the  progress  thereof  be 
subject  to  the  supervision  of  the  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Company, 
or  of  such  persons  as  he  shall  delegate.  The  Contractor  shall 
provide  sufficient,  safe  and  proper  facilities  at  all  times  for  the 
inspection  of  the  work  hereunder,  and  of  the  material  to  be  used 
therein,  by  said  Chief  Engineer  or  his  representatives;  and  shall 
within  twenty -four  (24)  hours  after  receiving  written  notice  from 
said  Chief  Engineer  or  his  representatives  to  that  effect  proceed  to 
remove  from  the  grounds  and  premises,  and  from  said  work,  all 
materials  condemned  by  him,  whether  worked  or  unworked,  and 
Removal  of  to  take  down  all  portions  of  the  work  which  said  Chief  Engineer 
Faulty  Work,  shall  condemn,  or  which,  in  any  manner,  shall  fail  to  conform  to 
such  plans  and  specifications. 


Claims  for 
Labor  and 
Material. 


Liens. 


Inspection, 


Removal  of 
Condemned 
Material. 


No  Liquor. 


Damage  to 
Property. 

Disorderly 


The  Contractor  shall  not  or  will  not  permit  to  be  brought, 
drunk  or  used  on  the  line  of  railroad  of  the  Company  or  at  or 
near  said  work  any  intoxicating  liquor  or  beverage  of  any  descrip- 
tion ;  shall  not  and  will  not  do  or  suffer  his  employees  to  do  any 
damage  to  crops  or  other  property  at  or  adjacent  to  said  work, 
and  shall  and  will,  upon  the  direction  of  the  Company,  discharge 


and  Negligent  any  foreman  or  other  employee  engaged  in  said  work  who  shall  in 
the  opinion  of  said  Chief  Engineer  be  disorderly,  intemperate, 
incompetent,  negligent  or  dishonest. 


Workmen. 


ORDINARY  FORMS  OF  CONTRACTS  31 

In  case  any  dispute  shall  arise  between  the  parties  hereto  as  to  Arbitration. 
the  interpretation  of  this  contract,  or  the  plans  and  specifications 
herein  referred  to,  the  decision  of  the  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Com- 
pany as  to  such  interpretation  of  said  contract,  plans  and  speci- 
fications, shall  be  conclusive  upon  the  parties  hereto. 

No  certificate  given  or  payment  made  under  this  contract  shall  Payment  not 
be  evidence  of  the  performance  of  the  same,  either  in  whole  or  in  Acceptance, 
part,  and  no  payment  shall  be  construed  as  an  acceptance  of 
defective  work  or  improper  materials. 

The  Company  shall  and  will  furnish  free  transportation  over  Transporta- 
its  own  lines  of  railway  for  men  between  Seattle  and  Everett  tion. 
necessary  to  be  employed  or  used  in  said  work.     The  necessity 
for  such  transportation  shall  be  in  each  case  certified  by  said 
Chief  Engineer,  and  his  certificate  shall  be  conclusive. 

It  is  further  mutually  agreed  between  the  parties  hereto  that  Contractors' 
the  Company,  in  the  transportation  of  any  men,  tools  or  materials  Assumption 
herein  agreed  to  be  transported  free,  shall  be  deemed  to  be  a  pri-  °     ia  l    7- 
vate  carrier  without  hire  and  not  otherwise,  and  the  Contractor 
expressly  agrees  that  the  Company  shall  not  be  liable  to  him 
while  riding  free  as  aforesaid,  for  any  personal  injury  to  himself 
nor  for  any  loss  or  damage  to  his  tools  or  materials  transported 
free  as  aforesaid. 

The  Contractor  further  agrees  that  he  will  cause  each  and 
every  person  employed  by  him  in  the  work  before  mentioned  and 
who  shall  be  transported  free  as  aforesaid,  to  execute  an  agree- 
ment to  the  effect  that  the  Company,  in  such  transportation,  shall 
be  deemed  to  be  a  private  carrier  without  hire  and  not  otherwise, 
and  that  the  Company  shall  not  be  liable  to  said  employee  for 
personal  injury  received  by  him  while  riding  free  as  aforesaid,  nor 
for  any  loss  or  damage  to  his  tools  or  other  property  transported 
free.  In  the  event  of  failure  of  the  Contractor  to  cause  the  persons 
employed  by  him  to  execute  such  an  agreement  he  shall  indemnify 
the  Company  and  save  it  harmless  from  loss  or  damage  on  account  of 
any  claim  made  by  such  persons  for  personal  injuries  or  damage  to 
property  suffered  by  them  while  being  transported  free  as  aforesaid. 

The  Contractor  in  the  prosecution  of  the  work  hereunder  shall  Independent 
be  and  is  an  independent  contractor,  and  shall  be  solely  liable  for  Contractor. 
any  and  all  injuries  to  persons  or  damage  to  property,  in  any 
manner  caused  by  the  negligence  of  the  Contractor,  his  agents  or 
servants,  in  or  about  the  prosecution  of  the  work  covered  by  this 
contract,  and  shall  indemnify  and  save  harmless  the  Company 
from  any  and  all  loss  or  damage  on  account  of  any  such  injuries 
to  persons  or  damage  to  property. 

The  Contractor  in  the  prosecution  of  the  work  covered  hereby  No  Interrup- 
shall  so  conduct  the  same  as  not  to  interfere  with  the  movement  tion  of  Traffic, 
of  trains  or  traffic  upon  and  over  the  tracks  of  the  Company  at 
and  adjacent  to  the  site  of  said  work,  and  shall  so  arrange  and 
conduct  operations  in  said  work  as  to  permit  said  trains  to  pass 
continuously  and  safely  upon  and  over  said  tracks. 


32 


ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 


Sub  con-  The  Contractor  shall  not  assign  or  sublet  this  contract  without 

tracts.  tne  written  consent  of  said  Chief  Engineer. 

Payment.  In  consideration  of  the  Contractor  doing  the  work  hereinbefore 

described,  in  the  manner  and  within  the  time  specified,  the  Com- 
pany shall  pay  to  the  Contractor  therefor  as  follows,  to  wit: 

Rock  dumped  in  place,  per  cubic  yard,  $1.75.  Measurements 
to  be  made  on  scows  at  site  of  work;  contractors  to  load  the  rock 
on  scows  uniformly,  so  as  to  aid  in  proper  measurements  of  the 
material  furnished.  No  rock  shall  be  furnished  smaller  than 
8  or  10  inches,  the  bulk  of  it  to  be  large  as  handling  will  permit. 
Estimates  to  be  made  at  the  end  of  each  month  and  a  payment  of 
eighty-five  (85)  per  cent  of  said  estimate  to  be  made  on  or  before 
twenty  (20)  days  thereafter;  final  payment  to  be  made  twenty 
(20)  days  after  the  completion  of  the  work  and  its  acceptance  by 
the  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Company. 

1Tn  TKHftttC69  THHbCtCOtt  the  parties  hereto  have  caused  this  agreement  to 
be  duly  executed  the  day  and  year  first  hereinabove  written. 


In  presence  of 
J.  S.  MASON, 
C.  H.  PARK. 


WESTERN  CONSTRUCTION  COMPANY, 

By  John  Doe,  Pres. 
PUGET  SOUND  RAILWAY  COMPANY, 

By  James  Roe,  2d  Vice-Pres. 


CHAPTER  III. 

ORDINARY   SPECIFICATIONS. 

THE  International  Dictionary  defines  "specification"  as  "A 
written  statement  containing  a  minute  description  or  enumeration 
of  particulars." 

But  that  is  rather  abstruse  and  does  not  explain  as  fully  as 
might  be  wished,  what  a  person  would  want  to  make  a  specifi- 
cation cover;  so  I  have  formulated  a  definition  of  my  own  that 
covers  the  u  engineering  specification  "  more  fully.  It  is  as  follows : 

"A  concise,  accurate,  and  detailed  description  of  the  work  or 
structure  to  be  built,  together  with  a  concise,  accurate,  and  de- 
tailed description  of  the  materials  and  their  method  of  fabrica- 
tion and,  to  some  extent,  of  the  methods  of  construction  of  the 
work  or  structure." 

The  last  thing  mentioned,  that  is,  the  methods  of  construction 
of  the  work,  or  methods  of  doing  the  work,  should  not  be  too  de- 
tailed or  specific.  It  is  not  desirable  always  to  state  the  methods 
or  to  hold  the  contractor  down  to  doing  the  work  in  a  certain 
or  particular  way.  He  should  be  allowed  a  certain  discretion  in 
the  matter,  and  it  is  not  desirable  to  describe  the  method  any 
further  than  is  actually  necessary. 

In  taking  up  some  of  the  forms  of  specifications  my  own 
lt  General  Specifications  for  Steel  Roofs  and  Buildings "  are 
used  on  account  of  my  greater  familiarity  with  its  details. 

In  writing  specifications,  first  divide  the  subject  into  general 
heads,  enumerating  the  various  things  which  are  to  be  covered 
by  the  specifications,  or,  in  other  words,  make  a  sort  of  synopsis 
of  the  work  to  be  done  under  them. 

The  first  clause  in  the  general  headings  is  the  "  General  De- 
scription," followed  by  Unit  Strains,  Plate  Girders,  Corrugated 
Iron,  Ventilation,  Lighting,  Details  of  Construction,  Workman- 
ship, Quality  of  Material  (which  should  be  subdivided  into 
wrought  iron,  steel,  and  timber),  then  should  follow  paragraphs 
for  Painting  and  Erection. 

33 


34  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

Very  seldom  would  there  be  any  other  general  headings 
than  those  enumerated. 

In  using  a  general  specification  for  any  particular  structure, 
the  description  must  be  very  minutely  and  accurately  given  in  a 
detailed  specification  to  accompany  the  general  one.  Having 
the  general  heads  to  cover  the  various  portions  of  the  work, 
subdivide  them. 

For  example,  under  the  head  of  loads,  there  is  the  snow  load, 
the  wind  load,  the  weight  of  the  covering,  the  weight  of  the  ceil- 
ing, weight  of  the  trusses,  etc. 

In  getting  up  this  building  specification,  there  was  found  to  be 
nothing  published  in  regard  to  the  actual  snow  load,  the  same 
fixed  amount  per  square  foot  being  assumed  for  all  localities. 
Specifications  also  usually  give  a  fixed  amount  for  the  snow  load, 
whether  the  structure  is  to  be  located  in  the  tropics  or  in  the 
arctic  regions. 

Of  course,  for  any  particular  piece  of  work  the  snow  load 
can  be  stated  as  given  in  the  Table,  according  to  the  place  where 
the  roof  happens  to  be  located.  Then  there  is  the  wind  pressure 
for  the  roof  itself  to  be  considered,  which  is  practically  the  same 
in  all  standard  specifications  or  books.  The  pressure  on  the 
sides  and  ends  of  a  building,  due  to  wind  loads,  had  never  been 
fixed  until  given  in  this  specification. 

For  each  particular  building  the  exact  weight  of  the  covering 
can  be  specified.  Corrugated  iron  is  usually  specified  according 
to  its  thickness  or  gauge,  such  as  No.  20,  No.  22,  etc.  But  these 
gauges  are  very  elastic;  therefore  it  is  better  to  specify  not  only 
the  gauge  but  the  weight  of  the  corrugated  iron  to  be  put  on  a 
building,  that  is,  specify  the  exact  weight  per  square  foot. 

The  matter  of  the  weight  of  trusses  can  be  figured  exactly  for 
any  particular  roof,  although  the  formulas  given  here  will 
work  out  close  enough  for  practical  purposes. 

Paragraph  10  is  one  that  should  be  taken  account  of  when- 
ever a  building  is  to  be  erected  for  milling  or  mining  purposes: 
"Mill  buildings,  or  any  that  are  subject  to  corrosive  action  of 
gases,  shall  have  all  the  above  loads  increased  25  per  cent." 

Under  the  head  of  unit  strains  you  will  notice  that  the  grade 
of  steel  adopted  is  soft  medium  steel,  and  since  this  was  written 
originally  many  other  specifications  have  been  changed  to  cover 
this  grade. 


ORDINARY  SPECIFICATIONS  35 

A  special  division  has  been  given  to  Plate  Girders  for  the 
reason  that  they  are  not  always  used  in  buildings,  but  it  seemed 
advisable  to  give  a  specification  for  them. 

In  regard  to  the  corrugated  iron  covering  you  will  notice  that 
is  gone  into  fully,  as  to  the  size  of  the  corrugations,  weight,  the 
gauge  to  be  used,  etc. 

The  next  section  takes  up  ventilation,  merely  as  deduced  from 
practice.  In  the  matter  of  louvers,  I  want  to  call  the  reader's 
attention  to  the  manner  in  which  they  are  made.  They  are 
often  made  out  of  pieces  of  sheet  iron  with  bent  or  flanged  edges, 
or  sometimes  with  a  curled  edge.  The  object  of  making  the  curl 
is  to  strengthen  or  stiffen  it  and  to  make  it  carry  over  a  longer 
span.  The  one  I  generally  use  is  simply  corrugated,  one  that 
can  be  turned  out  by  any  manufactory  of  corrugated  iron.  It  is 
cheap  and  stiff. 

In  the  matter  of  lighting,  the  paragraph  which  is  given  to  that 
is  simply  a  practical  statement.  I  do  not  know  that  there  is 
any  scientific  way  of  getting  at  any  particular  amount  of  light 
for  a  building.  Years  ago  buildings  were  constructed  very 
badly  in  this  respect,  and  had  comparatively  little  natural 
light,  so  that  on  dark  days,  or  early  in  the  afternoon  of  short 
winter  days,  there  would  be  practically  no  light  at  all.  Now 
buildings  are  constructed  sometimes  so  that  the  sides  are  nearly 
all  windows. 

In  this  specification,  "  Details  of  Construction"  are  practically 
the  same  as  given  in  a  bridge  specification,  which  is  also  true  of 
"  Workmanship." 

With  reference  to  " Quality  of  Materials,"  I  have  already 
explained  that,  as  regards  steel,  the  specification  covers  soft 
medium  steel  for  all  main  members.  Wrought  iron  is  covered 
because  a  great  many  rods  and  rivets  used  to  be  made  of  that 
material,  whereas  soft  steel  is  now  generally  used.  It  is  now 
possible  to  get  all  material  of  steel  that  will  answer  every 
requirement. 

In  the  matter  of  painting,  this  specification  is  different  from 
the  ordinary  bridge  specification,  owing  to  the  fact  that  it  calls 
for  lead  paint.  In  ordinary  cases  it  is  just  as  well  to  use  ordi- 
nary lead  paint  of  good  quality,  although  red-lead  paint  is  very 
much  better  in  some  special  cases. 

Cooper's  " Specification  for  Steel  Railroad  Bridges"  comes  next 


<<>>•**•**>%.  Z^  v?5 

OF    THE;     J 

UNIVERSITY 


OP 


36  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

on  the  list,  and  it  is  probably  the  best  general  specification  of  its 
kind  that  is  published ;  also  it  was  about  the  first  that  was  ever 
gotten  out.  Cooper  has  kept  it  right  up  to  date,  and  whenever 
there  has  been  any  change  in  the  quality  or  class  of  materials 
used,  this  has  been  changed  also;  so  that  his  1906  edition 
represents  the  very  latest  things  in  bridge  work.  It  is  also  the 
best  elementary  treatise  on  bridge  work,  I  think,  that  has  ever 
been  written.  Cooper's  specifications  have  the  merit,  as  well, 
of  being  extremely  simple. 

Under  the  head  of  " General  Description,"  the  principal  thing 
to  be  noted  is  the  different  types  of  bridges  specified  for 
various  lengths.  It  was  the  idea  of  engineers  fiftejen  years 
ago  that  riveted  trusses  could  not  be  constructed  at  any  rea- 
sonable cost  beyond  120  feet  in  length,  but  Cooper  gives  the 
limit  as  150  feet  for  present-day  practice.  I  was  told  years  ago 
by  Mr.  George  H.  Thomson,  at  one  time  bridge  engineer  for  the 
New  York  Central  and  Hudson  River  Railroad,  who  had  wide 
experience  along  that  line,  that  riveted  trusses  can  be  constructed 
up  to  200  feet  span  or  over  as  cheap  or  cheaper  than  pin  con- 
nected, and  my  own  experience  during  the  past  ten  years  has 
verified  this  statement. 

The  compound  Warren  truss  is  one  that  was  used  by  the 
Union  Bridge  Company  in  building  the  K.  and  I.  Bridge  at 
Louisville,  Ky.,  and  it  is  a  very  good  type  of  truss  for  a  riveted 
structure.  Some  of  the  bridge  companies  use  the  multiple 
system  of  trussing  for  riveted  work. 

It  will  be  noted  that  the  "  General  Description "  given  in 
Cooper  is  quite  extensive. 

About  the  division  of  "  Loads,"  page  4,  paragraph  23,  it  may 
be  said  that  Cooper's  loadings  are  perhaps  the  most  used  of  any 
that  are  specified  in  a  general  specification,  for  the  reason  that 
it  is  a  very  simple  and  very  uniform  system  of  loading.  Wad- 
dell's  is  practically  the  same  in  get-up,  but  does  not  fit 
actual  conditions  so  well  for  the  different  railways  as  Cooper's 
does.  Of  course,  each  of  the  big  railway  lines  has  a  load- 
ing of  its  own,  with  the  idea  that  it  is  getting  exactly  at  the 
weight  of  the  trains  that  are  running  over  the  bridges  every 
day;  but  while  a  railroad  may  have  a  particular  type  of  loco- 
motive this  year,  it  is  liable  to  change  to  an  entirely  different 
class  another  year,  so  that  the  actual  loading  does  not  fit  the 


ORDINARY  SPECIFICATIONS  37 

bridges  well  at  all;  therefore  in  going  over  a  calculation  of 
stresses  of  a  number  of  bridges  on  the  same  road  for  any 
particular  loading  it  will  be  found  that  hardly  any  two  bridges 
are  just  right  for  the  loading. 

The  wind  loads  specified  by  Cooper  have  become  the  prac- 
tical standard  of  the  world,  and  are  used  the  world  over  for 
railroad  bridges,  as  are  also  his  wind  loads  for  highway 
bridges. 

The  unit  stresses  for  rivets  and  combined  strains  given  on 
pages  10  and  11  are  just  the  ordinary  ones  that  are  used  in  the 
design  of  details  for  bridges.  Use  simply  the  various  unit 
strains  as  they  are  set  forth  there. 

In  the  matter  of  "  Details  of  Construction"  on  page  12,  it 
would  be  well  to  take  up  each  clause  and  study  it  carefully,  as 
it  gives  the  best  practice  in  the  detailing  of  bridge  work. 

It  will  be  noted  that  Cooper  specifies  that  the  steel  must  be 
made  by  the  open-hearth  process.  He  declined  for  many  years 
to  say  what  method  of  manufacture  should  be  used,  simply  re- 
quiring it  to  come  up  to  certain  specifications  as  to  strength;  but 
he  finally  came  to  specify  that  all  steel  should  be  made  by  the 
open-hearth  process,  as  Bessemer  steel  is  not  as  uniform  as  that 
made  by  the  open-hearth  process.  If  going  into  steel  construc- 
tion as  a  business,  the  reader  should  not  fail  to  get  Howe's 
"  Metallurgy  of  Steel "  and  study  up  this  subject  thoroughly. 
Probably  90  per  cent  of  the  structural  steel  manufactured  now 
is  made  by  the  basic  open-hearth  method.  It  is  a  method 
that  uses  a  very  much  larger  proportion  of  scrap  iron  than 
others,  but  gives  a  better  product.  Cooper  sticks  to  the  old 
idea  of  using  soft  and  medium  steel,  although  50  per  cent  of  the 
railroads  use  soft  medium  steel ;  some  still  use  medium  steel  for 
some  parts  and  soft  steel  for  other  parts. 

Wherever  castings  are  to  be  used  in  bridges,  it  is  very  much 
better  to  use  cast  steel  than  cast  iron.  Cast  iron  is  very  brittle. 
Cast  steel  has  higher  tensile  strength  than  rolled  steel. 

There  is  also  a  specification  for  timber,  that  is  very  short 
but  one  of  the  best. 

The  next  section,  page  25,  speaks  of  inspectors  and  covers 
fully  though  briefly  the  matter  of  inspection  of  structures.  The 
practice  in  late  years  has  been  for  every  railroad  to  have  an  in- 
spector go  to  the  mill  and  inspect  the  material  there  before  it 


38  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

goes  into  the  structure,  and  to  see  that  good  material  is  placed 
in  the  bridge. 

There  are  bureaus  that  furnish  inspectors  for  all  sorts  of  work, 
but  the  inspectors  of  these  bureaus,  when  they  are  hired  by  a 
small  railroad  or  a  small  concern,  usually  do  the  most  service  in 
making  out  their  bills  and  do  very  little  in  the  matter  of  inspec- 
tion. They  usually  go  to  the  shops,  call  on  the  general  manager, 
get  a  good  cigar,  walk  down  through  the  shops,  spend  ten  or 
fifteen  minutes  in  looking  around,  and  then  catch  the  next  train 
for  home.  If  the  reader  ever  has  occasion  to  hire  an  inspector 
he  should  know  who  he  is,  for  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  it  is 
money  thrown  away.  Often  better  results  are  obtained  by 
taking  the  test  sheets  of  the  mill  and  the  reports  of  chemical 
composition. 

On  page  27  will  be  found  "  Final  Tests  of  Bridges";  it  is  all 
right  to  have  that  in  a  specification,  but  I  never  considered  such 
a  test  to  amount  to  very  much ;  that  is,  to  have  a  test  train  run 
over  the  bridge.  It  is  better  to  know  what  your  material  is  and 
that  the  bridge  is  built  well  than  to  test  it  by  having  test  trains 
run  over  it  at  full  speed. 

It  is  well  to  have  Cooper's  "  Specifications  for  Foundations," 
although  I  cannot  say  that  a  general  specification  for  a  founda- 
tion is  of  very  much  use  in  letting  a  contract  in  actual  practice. 
As  a  short  treatise  on  foundations  it  will  repay  careful  reading 
and  study.  The  general  specification  takes  up  about  twelve 
pages,  and  can  be  used  as  a  guide,  and  as  a  guide  only,  in  writing 
out  a  specification  for  any  foundation  that  may  be  designed. 
I  call  attention  to  the  headings  only,  as  it  is  impossible  to  give 
any  general  description  of  foundations,  because  no  two  founda- 
tions are  alike  or  even  similar.  When  it  comes  to  the  matter 
of  timber  and  piling,  this  is  a  specification  that  is  good  to  use 
and  incorporate  in  the  special  specification. 

The  matter  of  spikes  is  one  that  I  never  considered  it  neces- 
sary to  make  a  specification  for.  The  sizes  should  be  shown  on 
the  drawings. 

Cement  should  be  gone  into  a  great  deal  more  fully  than  this 
specification  does,  and  for  any  small  work  it  is  better  to  have 
actual  tests  made.  For  any  large  structure  have  a  detailed  speci- 
fication for  the  cement  work. 

The  specification  for  sand  is  the  usual  one.    It  is  a  fact, 


ORDINARY  SPECIFICATIONS 


39 


however,  that  ordinary  sand  with  some  earth  in  it  will  often  give 
stronger  concrete  than  perfectly  clean  sand. 

Cement,  mortar,  gravel,  and  broken  stone  are  given,  and  then 
come  the  various  classes  of  masonry. 

Then  we  have  a  specification  for  steel  shells  for  cylindrical  and 
oblong  piers. 

The  remainder  of  the  specification  is  a  "  General  Description 
of  Substructures  and  Methods  of  Founding,"  which  is  valuable 
as  a  short  treatise  on  foundations  and  for  reference  purposes 
when  engaged  in  practical  work. 


General  Specifications  for  Steel  Roofs  and  Buildings. 

BY  CHARLES  EVAN  FOWLER. 
GENERAL  DESCRIPTION. 

1.  The  structure  shall  be  of  the  general  outline  and  dimen-  Diagram, 
sions  shown  on  the  attached  diagram,  which  gives  the  principal 
dimensions  and  all  the  principal  data.     (2,  72.) 

2.  The  sizes  and  sections  of  all  members,  together  with  the 
strains  which  come  upon  them,  shall  be  marked  in  their  proper 
places  upon  a  strain  sheet,  and  submitted  with  proposal.     (1,  72.) 

3.  The  height  of  the  building  shall  mean  the  distance  from  top  Clearances, 
of  masonry  to  under  side  of  bottom  chord  of  truss.     The  width 

and  length  of  building  shall  mean  the  extreme  distance  out  to  out 
of  framing  or  sheeting. 

4.  The  pitch  of  roof  shall  generally  be  one-fourth.     (6.) 

LOADS. 
The  trusses  shall  be  figured  to  carry  the  following  loads: 

5.  Snow  loads.  Snow  Load. 


Location. 

Pitch  of  Roof. 

1-2 

1-3 

1-4 

1-5 

1-6 

Southern  States  and  Pacific  Slope 
Central  States  
Rocky  Mountain  States  
New  England  States  

0 
0 
0 
0 
0 

0 
7 
10 
10 
12 

0 
15 
20 
20 
25 

0 
22 
27 
35 
37 

0 
30 
35 
45 
50 

Northwest  States  

Pounds  per  nor.  sq.  foot. 

40 


ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 


Wind  6.     The  wind  pressure  on  trusses  in  pounds  per  square  foot  shall 

Load  be  taken  from  the  following  table: 


Pitch. 

Vertical. 

Horizontal. 

Normal. 

1-2  =  45°  00' 

19 

19 

27 

1-3=33°  41' 

17 

12 

22 

1-4=26°  34' 

15 

8 

18 

1-5  =  21°  48' 

13 

6 

15 

1-6  =18°  26' 

11 

4 

13 

Weight  of 
Covering. 


7.  The  sides  and  ends  of  buildings  shall  be  figured  for  a  uni- 
formly distributed  wind  load  of  20  pounds  per  square  foot  of  ex- 
posed surface  when  20  feet  or  less  to  the  eaves;  30  pounds  per 
square  foot  of  exposed  surface  when  60  feet  to  the  eaves,  and  pro- 
portionately for  intermediate  heights.     (6.) 

8.  The  weight  of  covering  may  be  taken  as  follows:     Corru- 
gated iron  laid,  black  and  painted,  per  square  foot; 


No.  27 
.90 


26 
1.00 


24 


22 
1.60 


20       18 
1.90    2.60 


16 
3.30  pounds. 


Weight  of 
Trusses. 


Increase  of 
Loads. 


Minimum 
Load. 


For  galvanized  iron  add  0.2  pounds  per  square  foot  to  above 
figures. 

Slate  shall  be  taken  at  a  weight  of  7  pounds  per  square  foot  for 
3-16"  slate  6"  x  12",  and  8.25  pounds  per  square  foot  for  3-16" 
slate  12"  x  24",  and  proportionately  for  other  sizes. 

Sheeting  of  dry  pine  boards  at  three  pounds  per  foot  board 
measure. 

Plastered  ceiling  hung  below  at  not  less  than  10  pounds  per 
square  foot. 

The  exact  weight  of  purlins  shall  be  calculated. 

9.  The  weight  of  Fink  roof  trusses  up  to  200  feet  span  may  be 
calculated  by  the  following  formulae  for  preliminary  value. 

w  =  .06  s  +  -6,  for  heavy  loads. 

w  =  .04  s  +  .4,  for  light  loads.         (40,  45.) 

s  =  span  in  feet,     w  =  weight  per  hor.  sq.  ft.  in  pounds. 

10.  Mill  buildings,  or  any  that  are  subject  to  corrosive  action 
of  gases,  shall  have  all  the  above  loads  increased  25  per  cent. 

11.  Buildings  or  parts  of  buildings  subject  to  strains  from  ma- 
chinery or  other  loads  not  mentioned,  shall  have  the  proper  allow- 
ance made. 

12.  No  roof  shall,  however,  be  calculated  for  a  less  load  than 
30  pounds  per  horizontal  square  foot. 


ORDINARY  SPECIFICATIONS  41 

UNIT  STRAINS. 

Soft  Medium 
Iron.  Steel. 

13.  Shapes,  net  section 16,000        (67.)  TAT1.imi 

Bars 14,000       17,000 

Bottom  flanges  of  rolled  beams.  15,000 

Laterals  of  angles,  net  section  . .  20,000        (57.) 

Laterals  of  bar 18,000  (41.) 

14.  Flat  ends  and  fixed  ends  . .  . .  12,500-  500  -      Compression 

r     Only. 

I  =  length  in  feet  c.  to  c.  of  connections. 
r  =  least  radius  of  gyration  in  inches.  (59.) 

15.  Top  flanges  of  built  girders  shall  have  the  same  gross  area  Flanges. 
as  tension  flanges.     (24.) 

16.  Members  subject  to  transverse  loading  in  addition  to  direct  Combined, 
strain,  such  as  rafters,  and  posts  having  knee  braces  connected  to 

them,  shall  be  considered  as  fixed  at  the  ends  in  riveted  work,  and 
shall  be  proportioned  by  the  following  formulae,  and  the  unit 
strain  in  extreme  fiber  shall  not  exceed  for  soft  medium  steel  15,000. 

5  =  ^+3.  (52,62.) 

S  =  Strain  per  square  inch  in  extreme  fiber. 
M  —  Moment  of  transverse  force  in  inch  pounds. 
n  =  Distance  center  of  gravity  to  top  or  bottom  of  final  section 

in  inches. 

I  =  Final  moment  of  inertia. 
P  =  Direct  load. 
A  =  Final  area. 

Soft  Medium 
Soft  Steel.  Steel. 

17.  Pins  and  rivets 10,000  (57.)   Shearing. 

Web  plates 7,000 

18.  On  dia.  of  pins  and  rivet  holes  20,000  20,000  (57.)  Bearing. 

19.  Extreme  fiber  of  pins 25,000  Bending. 

Extreme  fiber  of  purlins 15,000  (49.) 

20.  Lateral  connections  will  have  25  per  cent  greater  unit  Laterals, 
strains  than  above. 

21.  Bolts  may  be  used  for  field  connections  at  two-thirds  of  Bolts, 
rivet  values.     (17,  18.) 

TIMBER  PURLINS. 

22.  In  purlins  of  yellow  pine,  southern  pine,  or  white  oak,  the  Timber. 
extreme  fiber  strain  shall  not  exceed  1200  Ibs.  per  sq.  in.  (50.) 

PLATE  GIRDERS. 

23.  The  length  of  span  shall  be  considered  as  the  distance  from  Girders, 
center  to  center  of  end  bearings  when  girders  rest  on  bottom 
flange,  and  from  end  to  end  when  fastened  between  columns  by 
connection  angles. 


42 


ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 


Flanges. 


Stiff  eners. 


Covering. 


24.  The  compression  flanges  shall  be  stayed  transversely  when 
their  length  is  more  than  thirty  times  their  width.     (15.) 

One-sixth  of  the  web  shall  be  included  as  flange  area,  provided 
proper  horizontal  splices  are  made  at  web  joints. 

25.  All  web  plates  shall  be  stiffened  at  the  inner  and  outer 
edges  of  the  end  bearings  and  at  all  points  of  local  concentrated 
loading. 

Intermediate  stiffeners  shall  be  used  provided  the  shearing  strain 
per  square  inch  exceeds  that  given  by  the  formula: 

1  c    AAA 

— — —  .    d  =  Clear  dist.  between  flange  angles  in  inches. 


1  + 


3000  t2 


Thickness  of  web  in  inches. 


CORRUGATED  IRON  COVERING. 


26.  Corrugated  iron  shall  generally  be  of  2J-inch  corrugations* 
and  the  gauge  in  U.  S.  standard  shall  be  shown  on  strain  sheet. 

27.  The  span  or  distance  center  to  center  of  roof  purlins  shall 
not  exceed  that  given  in  the  following  table: 


27  gauge  .  .  . 
26  gauge  .  .  . 
24  gauge  .  .  . 
22  gauge  .  .  . 

ft.  in. 
.  ..2  0 
.  ..2  6 
.  ..3  0 
...40 

20  gauge  .  .  . 
18  gauge.  .  . 
16  gauge  .  .  . 

ft.  in. 
.  ..4  6 
.  ..5  0 

...5  6 

28. 


(48.) 
All  corrugated  iron  shall  be  laid  with  one  corrugation  side 


lap,  and  not  less  than   four  inches  end  lap,  generally  with  six 

inches  end  lap.     (32.) 
Valleys.  29.     All  valleys  or  junctions  shall  have  flashing  extending  at 

least  12  inches  under  the  corrugated  iron,  or  12  inches  above  line 

where  water  will  stand.     (35,  36.) 
Ridges.  30.    All  ridges  shall  have  roll  cap  securely  fastened  over  the 

corrugated  iron. 
Fastenings.  31.     Corrugated  iron  shall  preferably  be  secured  to  the  purlin 

by  galvanized  straps  of  not  less  than  five-eighths  of  an  inch  wide 

by  No.  18  gauge;  these  shall  pass  completely  around  the  purlin,  and 

have  each  end  riveted  to  the  sheet.     There  shall  be  at  least  two 

fastenings  on  each  purlin  for  each  sheet. 

32.     The  side  laps  shall  be  riveted  with  six  pound  rivets  not 

more  than  six  inches  apart.     (28.) 
Finish  Angle.       33.     At  the  gable  ends  the  corrugated  iron  shall  be  securely 

fastened  down  on  the  roof,  to  a  finish  angle  or  channel,  connected 

to  the  end  of  the  roof  purlins. 

VENTILATORS  AND  LOUVERS. 

Ventilators.  34.  Ventilators  shall  be  provided  and  located  so  as  to  properly 
ventilate  the  building.  They  shall  have  a  net  area  of  openings  for 
each  100  square  feet  of  floor  surface  of  not  less  than  one-half  a 
square  foot  for  machine  shops,  of  not  less  than  five  square  feet  for 
mill  buildings,  and  not  less  than  seven  square  feet  for  forge  shops. 


ORDINARY  SPECIFICATIONS  43 

Louvers  shall  be  provided  in  ventilators,  if  necessary,  of  such  Louvers, 
form  as  to  prevent  the  blowing  in  of  snow  or  storm  water,  and  of 
a  stiff  enough  section  not  to  sag  below  horizontal  and  appear  un- 
sightly.    They  shall  not  be  less  than  No.  16  gauge  galvanized  for 
flat  louvers,  and  No.  20  gauge  galvanized  for  corrugated  louvers. 

LIGHTING. 

35.     Windows  shall  be  provided  in  the  sides  and  clearstory  or  Windows. 
ventilator  of  a  surface  equal  to  not  less  than  10  per  cent  of  the 
entire  exterior  surface  of  the  buildings,  in  mill  buildings,  and  of  not 
less  than  20  per  cent  in  machine  shops  or  similiar  buildings.   (29.) 

36.  At  least  half  of  the  lighting  specified  shall  preferably  be  in  Skylights. 
the  form  of  skylights  of  some  form  of  construction  which  shall 
entirely  prohibit  leaking.     (29.) 

DETAILS  OF  CONSTRUCTION. 

37.  All  tension    members    shall    preferably  be  composed  of  Tension 
angles  or  shapes  with  the  object  of  stiffness.  Members. 

38.  All  joints  shall  have  full  splices  and  not  rely  on  gussets. 

(65.) 

39.  All  main  members  shall  preferably  be  made  of  two  angles, 
back  to  back,  two  angles  and  one  plate,  or  four  angles  laced.    (67.) 

40.  Secondary  members  shall  preferably  be  made  of  symmetri- 
cal sections. 

41.  Long    laterals  or  sway  rods  may  be  made  of  bar,   with 
sleeve  nut  adjustment,  to  facilitate  erection. 

42.  Members  having  such  a  length  as  to  cause  them  to  sag 
shall  be  held  up  by  sag  ties  of  angles,  properly  spaced. 

43.  Rafters  shall  preferably  be  made  of  two  angles,  two  angles  Compression 
and  one  plate,  or  of  such  form  as  to  allow  of  easy  connection  for   Members, 
web  members.     (65.) 

44.  All  other  compression  members,  except  sub-struts,  shall  be 
composed  of  sections  symmetrically  disposed.     (65.) 

45.  Sub-struts  shall  preferably  be  made  of  symmetrical  sections. 

46.  The  trusses  shall  be  spaced,  if  possible,  at  such  distances  Purlins, 
apart  as  to  allow  of  single  pieces  of  shape  iron  being  used  for  pur- 
lins,  trussed  purlins  being  avoided,   if    possible.     Purlins  shall 
preferably  be  composed  of  single  angles,  with  the  long  leg  vertical 

and  the  back  toward  the  peak  of  the  roof. 

47.  Purlins  shall  be  attached  to  the  rafters  or  columns  by  clips, 
with  at  least  two  rivets  in  rafter  and  two  holes  for  each  end  of 
each  purlin. 

48.  Roof  purlins  shall  .be  spaced  at  distances  apart  not  to  ex- 
ceed the  span  given  under  the  head  of  Corrugated  Iron.     (27.) 

49.  Purlins  extending  in  one  piece  over  two  or  more  panels, 
laid  to  break  joint,  and  riveted  at  the  ends,  may  be  figured  as  con- 
tinuous. 

50.  Timber  purlins,    if  used,  shall  be    attached  in  the  same 
manner  as  steel  purlins. 


44 


ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 


Sway 
Bracing. 


Bed  Plates. 


Anchor  Bolts. 


Punching. 


Punching  and 
Beaming. 

Effective 
Diameter  of 

Rivets. 


Pitch  of 

Rivets. 


Length  of 

Compression 

Members. 

Tie  Plates. 


Lacing  Bars. 


51.  Sway  bracing  shall  be  introduced  at  such  points  as  are 
necessary  to  insure  ease  of  erection  and  sufficient  transverse  and 
longitudinal  strength.     (41.) 

52.  All  such  strains  shall  preferably  be  carried  to  the  foundation 
direct,  but  may  be  accounted  for  by  bending  in  the  columns.    (62.) 

63.  Bed  plates  shall  never  be  less  than  one-half  inch  in  thick- 
ness, and  shall  be  of  sufficient  thickness  and  size  so  that  the  pres- 
sure on  masonry  will  not  exceed  300  pounds  per  square  inch. 
Trusses  over  75  feet  span  on  walls  or  masonry  shall  have  expan- 
sion rollers  if  necessary.  (54.) 

54.  Each  bearing  plate  shall  be  provided  with  two  anchor  bolts 
of  not  less  than  three-fourths  of  an .  inch  in  diameter,  either  built 
into  the  masonry  or  extending  far  enough  into  the  masonry  to 
make  them  effective.     (53.) 

55.  The  diameter  of  the  punch  shall  not  exceed  the  diameter  of 
the  rivet,  nor  the  diameter  of  the  die  exceed  the   diameter  of  the 
punch  by  more  than  one-sixteenth  of  an  inch.     (56.) 

56.  All  rivet  holes  in  steel  may  be  punched,  and  in  case  holes 
do  not    match    in   assembled  members  they  shall  be  reamed  out 
with  power  reamers.     (71.) 

57.  The  effective  diameter  of  the  driven  rivet  shall  be  assumed 
the  same  as  before  driving,  and  in  making  deductions  for  rivet 
holes  in  tension  members,  the  hole  will  be  assumed  one-eighth  of 
an  inch  larger  than  the  undriven  rivet.     (13,  17.) 

58.  The  pitch  of  rivets  shall  not   exceed  twenty    times  the 
thickness  of  the  plate  in  the  line  of  strain,  nor  forty  times  the 
thickness  at  right  angles  to  the  line  of  strain.     It  shall  never  be 
less  than  three  diameters  of  the  rivet.     At  the  ends  of  compression 
members  it  shall  not  exceed  four  diameters  of  the  rivet  for  a  length 
equal  to  the  width  of  the  members.  - 

59.  No  compression  member  shall  have  a  length  exceeding  fifty 
times  its  least  width,  unless  its   unit  strain   is  reduced   accord- 
ingly.    (14.) 

60.  Laced  compression   members  shall  be  stayed  at  the  ends 
by  batten  plates  having  a  length  not  less  than  the  depth  of  the 
member. 

61.  The  sizes  of  lacing  bars  shall  not  be  less  than  that  given  in 
the  following  table,  when  the  distance  between  the  gauge  lines  is  — 

(62.) 

6  inches  or  less  than  8  inches . 

8  inches  or  less  than  10  inches . 
10  inches  or  less  than  12  inches . 
12  inches  or  less  than  16  inches . 
16  inches  or  less  than  20  inches . 
20  inches  or  less  than  24  inches 
24  inches  or  above  of  angles. 

They  shall  generally  be  inclined  at  45  degrees  to  the  axis  of  the 
member,  but  shall  not  be  spaced  so  as  to  reduce  the  strength  of 
the  member  as  a  whole. 


,1|  inches  x  £  inch 
1£  inches  x  J  inch 
.  1|  inches  x  ^inch 
.  2    inches  x  -f  inch 
2 1  inches  x  ^  inch 
2    inches  x     inch 


ORDINARY  SPECIFICATIONS  45 

62.  Where  laced  members  are  subjected  to  bending,  the  size  of  Bending. 
lacing  bars  or  angles  shall  be  calculated  or  a  solid  web  plate  used. 

(13,  14,  61.) 

63.  All  rods  having  screw  ends  shall  be  upset  to  standard  size,  Upset  Bods, 
or  have  due  allowance  made. 

64.  No  metal  of  less  thickness  than  one-fourth  inch  shall  be  Variation  in 
used,  except  as  fillers,  and  no  angles  of  less  than  two-inch  leg.     A  Weight. 
variation  of  3  per  cent  shall  be  allowable  in  the  weight  or  cross 

section  of  material. 

WORKMANSHIP. 

65.  All  workmanship  shall  be  first  class  in  every  particular.   Finished 
All  abutting  surfaces  of  compression  members,  except  where  the  Surfaces, 
joints  are  fully  spliced,  must  be  planed  to  even  bearing  so  as  to 

give  close  contact  throughout.     (38.) 

66.  All  planed  or  turned  surfaces  left  exposed  must  be  pro- 
tected by  white  lead  and  tallow.     (89.) 

67.  Rivet  holes  for  splices  must  be  so  accurately  spaced  that  Bivets. 
the  holes  will  come  exactly  opposite  when  the  members  are  brought 

into  position  for  driving  rivets,  or  else  reamed  out.     (38,  70,  71.) 

68.  Rivets  must  completely  fill  the  holes  and  have  full  heads 
concentric  with  the  rivet  holes.     They  shall  have  full  contact  with 
the  surface,   or  be  countersunk  when  so  required,  and  shall  be 
machine  driven  when  possible.     Rivets  must  not  be  used  in  di- 
rect tension. 

69.  Built  members  when  finished  must  be  free  from  twists, 
open  joints  or  other  defects.     (65.) 

70.  Drift  pins  must  only  be  used  for  bringing  the  pieces  to-  Drilling. 
gether,  and  they  must  not  be  driven  so  hard  as  to  distort  the 

metal.     (71.) 

71.  When  holes  need  enlarging,  it  must  be  done  by  reaming  Beaming. 
and  not  by  drifting.     (70.) 

72.  The  decision  of  the  engineer  or  architect  shall  control  as  Drawings 
to  the  interpretation  of  the  drawings  and  specifications  during  the  and.  sPeci^- 
progress  of  the  work.     But  this  shall  not  deprive  the  contractor  of  Ca  lon8' 
right  of  redress  after  work  is  completed,  if  the  decision  shall  be 

proven  wrong.     (1,  91,  95.) 

QUALITY  OF  MATERIAL. 
Wrought  Iron. 

73.  All  wrought  iron  must  be  tough,  ductile,  fibrous  and  of  Character 
uniform  quality.      Finished    bars    must  be    thoroughly  welded  and  Fi^ish. 
during  the  rolling,  and  be  straight,  smooth  and  free  from  injurious 

seams,  blisters,  buckles,  cracks  or  imperfect  edges. 

74.  No  one  process  of  manufacture  is  preferred  over  another,  Manufac- 
provided  the  material  complies  with  this  specification.  tore. 

76.     For  tension  tests  the  test  piece  shall  have  as  near  one-half  Standard 
square  inch  of  sectional  area  as  possible,  and  a  length  of  at  least 
8  inches  with  uniform  section,  for  determining  the  elongation. 


46 


ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 


Elastic 
Limit. 

Tension  Iron, 


Manufac- 
ture. 

Standard 
Test  Pieces. 


Finish. 

Grades  of 
Steel. 

Phosphorus 
and  Sulphur 
Limit. 

Soft  Steel. 


Soft  Medium 
Steel. 


76.  The  elastic  limit  shall  not  be  less  than  26,000  pounds  per 
square  inch  for  all  classes  of  iron. 

77.  Standard  test  pieces  from  iron  having  a  section  of  4| 
square  inches  or  less  shall  show  an  ultimate  strength  of  not  less 
than  50,000  pounds  per  square  inch  and  an  elongation  in  8  inches 
of  not  less  than  18  per  cent. 

78.  Standard    test  pieces  from  bars  of  more  than   4J   square 
inches  section  will  be  allowed  a  reduction  of  500  pounds  for  each 
additional  square  inch  of  section,  provided  the  ultimate  strength 
does  not  fall  below  48,000  pounds  or  the  elongation  in  8  inches 
below  15  per  cent. 

79.  All  iron  for  tension  members  must  bend  cold  through  90 
degrees  to  a  curve  whose  diameter  is  not  over  twice  the  thickness 
of  the  piece,  without  cracking. 

80.  Not  less  than  one  sample  out  of  three  shall  bend  cold  to 
this  curve  through  180  degrees,  without  cracking. 

81.  When  nicked  on  one  side  and  bent  by  a  blow  from  a  sledge, 
the  fracture  must  be  wholly  fibrous. 

Steel. 

82.  Steel  made  either  by  the  Bessemer  or  Open  Hearth  process 
of  manufacture  shall  be  acceptable. 

83.  Test  pieces  for  tension  and  bending  tests  shall  have  as  near 
one-half  square  inch  of  sectional  area  as  possible  and  a  length  of 
at  least  8  inches  with  uniform  section,  for  determining  elongation. 

84.  One  test  piece  for  tension  and  one  for  bending  are  to  be 
taken  from  each  heat  or  blow  of  finished  material. 

85.  Finished  bars  must  be  free  from  flaws,  cracks  or  injurious 
seams  and  have  a  first-class  finish. 

86.  Steel  of  soft  and  soft  medium  grades  only  are  to  be  used, 
the  soft  steel  for  rivets  and  offset  or  bent  angles  or  plates,  and 
soft  medium  for  all  other  parts  where  iron  is  not  optional.     The 
phosphorus  shall  never  exceed  in  any  steel  0.08  per  cent,  nor  the 
sulphur  0.04  per  cent.     (56.) 

87.  Standard  test  pieces  of  finished  material  shall  have  an  ulti- 
mate strength  of  from  50,000  to  60,000  pounds  per  square  inch; 
an  elastic  limit  of  one-half  the  ultimate  strength;  an  elongation 
in  8  inches  of  not  less  than  25  per  cent;  and  a  reduction  of  area  at 
fracture  of  not  less  than  50  per  cent.     Samples  to  bend  cold  180 
degrees  flat  on  itself,  without  sign  of  fracture  on  the  outside  bent 
portion. 

88.  Standard  test  pieces  of  finished  material  shall  have  an  ulti- 
mate strength  of  from  55,000  to  65,000  pounds  per  square  inch; 
elastic  limit  not  less  than  one-half  the  ultimate  strength;  an  elon- 
gation in  8  inches  of  not  less  than  25  per  cent;  and  a  reduction  of 
area  at  fracture  of  not  less  than  50  per  cent.    Samples  to  bend 
cold  180  degrees  to  a  diameter  equal  to  the  thickness  of  the 
sample  without  crack  or  flaw  on  the  outside  of  the  bent  portion. 


ORDINARY  SPECIFICATIONS  47 

PAINTING. 

89.  All  iron  or  steel  framing  and  all  corrugated  iron,  unless  Painting, 
galvanized,  shall  have  one  coat  of  pure  lead  paint  before  leaving 

the  shop;  all  surfaces  in  contact  shall  have  one  heavy  coat  of  pure 
lead  paint  before  assembling,  and  all  planed  or  turned  surfaces 
shall  be  coated  with  white  lead  and  tallow.  (66.) 

90.  Parts  difficult  of  access  after  erection  shall  have  two  coats 
of  pure  lead  paint  at  the  shop. 

91.  After  erection  all  the  work  except  galvanized  iron  shall  re- 
ceive one  coat  of  pure  lead  paint  of  such  shade  as  the  engineer  or 
architect  may  select,  and  it  shall  be  thoroughly  and  evenly  ap- 
plied.    (72,  95.) 

ERECTION. 

92.  The  contractor  will  furnish  all  tools,  derricks  or  staging  Erection. 
and  material  of  every  description  for  the  erection  of  the  whole  or 

such  portions  of  the  work  as  are  included  in  the  contract,  and  re- 
move the  same  when  the  work  is  completed,  leaving  the  premises 
as  free  from  rubbish  or  obstruction  as  when  the  erection  was  com- 
menced. 

93.  The  contractor  shall  assume  all  risks  from  storms  or  acci- 
dents to  the  work,  unless  caused  by  the  negligence  or  interference 
of  the  owner  or  his  employees;  also  all  damage  to  persons  and 
properties  and  casualties  of  every  description,  until  the  final  ac- 
ceptance of  the  completed  structure. 

94.  The  contractor  shall  comply  with  all  ordinances  or  regula- 
tions of  the  authorities  having  jurisdiction  over  the  premises  or 
abutting  premises. 

95.  The  erection  is  to  be  carried  on  subject  to  the  approval  and 
inspection  of  the  engineer  or  architect,  and  it  is  to  be  completed  to 
his  satisfaction  and  in  full  accordance  with  the  contract  (72,  91.) 


48 


ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 


Specifications  for  Structural  Steel  and   Wr ought-iron 
Mill  Products. 

(Prepared  by  Bureau  of  Yards  and  Docks.) 
ISSUED  BY  THE  NAVY  DEPARTMENT,  OCTOBER  4,  1907. 

1.  Mill  orders.  —  The  contractor  shall  furnish  the  Bureau  of  Yards  and 
Docks  with  complete  copies  of  mill  orders,  in  triplicate,  and  no  material 
shall  be  rolled  before  the  copies  shall  have  been  received  by  the  Bureau. 

2.  Steel  manufacture  and  properties.  —  Steel  shall  be  made  by  the  open- 
hearth  process  and  have  chemical  and  physical  properties  in  conformity  with 
the  following  limits: 


Elements  Considered. 

Plates,  Shapes, 
and  Bars. 

Rivet  Steel. 

Steel  Cast- 
ings. 

Iron. 

Phosphorus,       maximum 

0.04  per  cent 

0  .04  per  cent 

0  .  05  per  cent 

(basic). 
Phosphorus,        maximum 

0  06  per  cent 

0  04  per  cent 

0  08  per  cent 

(acid). 
Sulphur,  maximum    .  . 

0  05  per  cent 

0  04  per  cent 

0  05  per  cent 

Ultimate   tensile  strength 
(pounds  per  square  inch)  . 
Elongation,  minimum  per) 

56,000  to 
64,000. 
1,500,000 

46,000  to 
54,000. 
1,500,000 

65,  000  mini- 
mum. 

50,000   mini- 
mum. 

18 

cent  in  8  inches.             ) 
Elongation    minimum  per 

Ult.  T.  Str. 
22 

Ult.  T.  Str. 

15 

cent  in  2  inches. 
Character  of  fracture  . 

Silky 

Silky  . 

Silky  or  fine 

Wholly 

Cold  bends  without  frac- 
ture 

180°  flat...  . 

180°  flat..  .  . 

granular. 
90°  d=3  t  .  . 

fibrous. 
135°d=2t. 

Rivet  steel,  when  nicked  and  bent  around  a  bar  of  the  same  diameter  as 
the  rivet  rod,  shall  give  a  gradual  break,  and  a  fine,  silky,  uniform  fracture. 
Iron,  when  nicked  and  bent,  shall  show  a  fracture  at  least  90  per  cent  of 
which  is  fibrous. 

3.  Allowable  variation  in  physical  properties.  —  If  first  test  shows  ultimate 
strength  for  plates,  shapes,  bars,  or  rivet  steel  to  be  outside  of  prescribed 
limits,  a  retest  shall  be  made  on  the  same  gauge,  which,  to  be  acceptable, 
shall  be  within  1000  pounds  of  the  specified  limits.      Elongation  limits  for 
material  less  than  ^  inch  thick,  or  in  excess  of  f  inch  in  thickness,  may  be 
reduced  1.25  per  cent  for  each  ^  inch  of  variation.     Cold  bending  tests  for 
plates,  shapes,  and  bars  which  are  1  inch  or  more  in  thickness,  will  be  satis- 
factory if  specimen  bends  180°  around  a  pin  having  diameter  twice  the  thick- 
ness of  the  specimen,  without  showing  fracture  on  outside  of  bend.     Steel 
bars   for    reenforced    concrete   will   be   satisfactory   if   maximum    ultimate 
strength  does  not  exceed  90,000  pounds  per  square  inch,  and  when  bars  will 
bend    cold    180°    without    fracture    around    their   thickness    multiplied  by 
(ultimate  strength  -  55,000) 

7500 

4.  Allowable  variation  in  weight.  —  A  variation  in  cross  section  or  weight 
of  each  piece  of  steel  of  more  than  2.5  per  cent  from  that  specified  will  be 


ORDINARY  SPECIFICATIONS  49 

sufficient  cause  for  rejection,  except  in  the  case  of  sheared  plates,  for  which 
variations  will  be  permitted  as  allowed  in  the  standard  specifications  adopted 
in  1906  by  the  American  Railway  Engineering  and  Maintenance  of  Way 
Association. 

5.  Finish.  —  Finished  material  shall  be  free  from  injurious  seams,  flaws, 
cracks,  defective  edges,  or  other  defects,  and  have  a  smooth,  uniform,  and 
workmanlike  finish.     Plates  36  inches  in  width  and  under  shall  have  rolled 
edges. 

6.  Steel  castings.  —  All  steel  castings  shall  be  true  to  pattern  and  shall  be 
annealed  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  inspecting  engineer.      Castings  shall  be 
free  from  cold  shuts,  sand  holes,  blow  holes,  and  any  other  defect  which  in 
the  opinion  of  the  inspecting  engineer  would  cause  or  tend  to  make  them 
unsuitable  for  the  service  for  which  they  might  be  intended. 

7.  Wrought  iron.  —  Wrought  iron  shall  be  double-rolled,  tough,  fibrous,  uni- 
form in  character,  thoroughly  welded  in  rolling,  and  free  from  surface  defects. 

8.  Stamping.  —  Every  finished  piece  of  steel  shall  have  the  melt  number 
and  the  name  of  the  manufacturer  stamped  or  rolled  upon  it.     Steel  and 
pins  for  rollers  shall  be  stamped  on  the  end.     Rivet  and  lattice  steel  and 
other  small  parts  may  be  bundled,  with  the  above  marks  on  an  attached 
metal  tag. 

9.  Rules  governing  physical  tests.  —  Test  bars  shall  have  forms  and  dimen- 
sions  as    required  by   the  general    specifications   adopted   in    1906    by  the 
American    Railway    Engineering    and    Maintenance    of    Way    Association. 
Specimens  for  physical  tests  representing  material  in  plates,  shapes,  and  bars 
shall  be  made  upon  coupons  cut  from  the  finished  product  and  shall  have 
both  faces  rolled  and  both  edges  either  milled  to  form,  parallel,  or  turned  to 
a  diameter  of  £  inch ;  parallel  edges  shall  have  a  length  of  at  least  9  inches ; 
specimens  shall  be  provided  with   enlarged  ends.      Tensile,  elongation,  and 
fracture  tests  representing  material  in  pins,  rollers,  and  steel  castings  shall 
be  made  upon  turned  specimens  having  a  uniform  reduced  diameter  of  \  inch 
for  a  length  of  2  inches  between  enlarged  ends;  bending  tests  shall  be  made 
upon  specimens  1  inch  by  £  inch.     Specimens  representing  pins  and  rollers 
shall  be  cut  from  the  finished  stock  in  such  manner  that  the  center  of  the 
specimen  shall  be  1  inch  from  the  surface  of  the  bar.     Specimens  represent- 
ing steel  castings  shall  be  made  from  coupons  which  are  molded,  cast,  and 
annealed  as  integral  parts  of  the  castings  and  which  are  not  cut  from  the 
castings  until  after  the  completion   of    the  annealing  process;  individual 
coupon  tests  and  reports  will  be  made  for  each  casting  unless  otherwise  else- 
where specified.     Bending  tests  may  be  made  either  by  pressure  or  by  blows. 

10.  Tests  and  test  reports.  —  Chemical  determinations  of  the  percentages 
of  carbon,  phosphorus,  sulphur,  and  manganese  shall  be  made  by  the  manu- 
facturer from  a  test  ingot  taken  at  the  time  of  pouring  of  each  melt  of  steel, 
and   a  correct  copy  of  such   analysis   in   triplicate  shall   be   furnished   the 
inspecting  engineer.     The  manufacturer  shall  also  make  at  least  one  set  of 
physical  tests  from  each  melt  of  steel  and  iron  as  rolled  or  cast;  in  case  steel 
differing  f  inch  and  more  in  thickness  is  rolled  from  one  melt,  a  test  shall  be 
made  from  the  thickest  and  thinnest  material  rolled.     Each  set  of  tests  will 
include  the  determination  of  ultimate  tensile  strength,  elongation,  character 


50  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

of  fracture,  cold  bending,  and  yield  point  as  indicated  by  drop  of  beam.  In 
case  the  United  States  may  desire  check  analyses  at  any  time,  such  analyses 
shall  be  made  at  the  expense  of  the  United  States,  and  an  excess  of  25  per 
cent  will  be  allowed  for  such  results,  as  compared  with  the  limits  prescribed 
in  the  table. 

11.  Mill   tests   and  inspections.  —  Mill   analyses,   tests,   inspections,   and 
reports  shall  be  made  entirely  by  the  manufacturer,  or  by  the  manufacturer 
subject  to  the  supervision  and  direction  of  a  Government  inspector,  as  may 
be  elected  by  the  Bureau  of  Yards  and  Docks.     The  manufacturer,  at  his 
own  expense,  shall  furnish  all  facilities  for  inspecting  and  testing  the  weight 
and  quality  of  all  material  at  place  of  manufacture,  and  shall  furnish  suit- 
able laboratory  and  testing  machines  and  prepare  samples  and  specimens  for 
testing.     The  inspector  shall  be  given  ample  notice  as  to  the  mill's  schedule 
in  order  that  he  may  take  samples  or  make  analyses,  tests,  or  inspections, 
but  it  is  understood  that  the  routine  operations  of  the  mill  will  not  be 
delayed,  due  to  the  absence  of  the  inspector,  but  in  such  case  the  manu- 
facturer will  proceed  with  the  tests  and  inspections  as  though  no  inspector 
had  been  detailed.     The  inspector  shall  have  free  access,  at  all  times,  to  all 
parts  of  the  mill  where  material  to  be  inspected  by  him  is  being  manu- 
factured or  tested.     Analyses,  tests,  and  inspections  shall  be  made  in  accord- 
ance with  recognized  standard  methods.     The  manufacturer  shall  prepare 
and  furnish  the  inspector,  in  triplicate  (or  the  Bureau  of  Yards  and  Docks 
in  case  no  inspector  has  been  detailed),  with  complete  copies  of  reports,  also 
complete    shipping   invoices   for   each    shipment.     The   manufacturer   shall 
guarantee  and  be  held  responsible  for  the  accuracy  of  all  analyses,  tests, 
inspections,  and  reports. 

12.  Defective  material.  —  Material   which,    subsequent   to   the   prescribed 
tests  at  the  mills  and  its  acceptance  there,  develops  weak  spots,  brittleness, 
cracks,  or  other  imperfections,  or  is  found  to  have  injurious  defects,  will  be 
rejected  at  the  shop  and  shall  be  replaced  by  the  manufacturer  at  his  own 
expense. 

13.  Shipping  invoices.  —  Complete  copies  of  shipping  invoices  for  each 
shipment,  in  triplicate,  shall  be  furnished  the  inspecting  engineer,  or  be  for- 
warded to  the  Bureau  of  Yards  and  Docks  in  case  there  has  been  no  inspector 
detailed. 

SHOP  WORK. 

14.  Shop  orders.  —  The  contractor  shall  furnish  the  Bureau  of  Yards  and 
Docks  with  complete  copies  of  shop  orders,  in  triplicate,  and  shall  also  notify 
the  Bureau  at  least  10  days  before  shop  work  is  to  be  commenced  in  order  that 
proper  arrangements  may  be  made  for  shop  inspection. 

15.  General  requirements.  —  All  members  forming  a  structure  shall  be  built 
in  accordance  with  approved  drawings.     Workmanship  and  finish  shall  be 
equal  to  the  best  practice  in  modern  bridge  work.     No  material  less  than  ^  inch 
in  thickness  shall  be  used,  except  for  fillers,  beams,  and  channels,  unless  spe- 
cifically required  by  the  contract.     Lattice  bars  shall  have  neatly  rounded  ends 
unless  otherwise  specified.     Stiffeners  shall  fit  neatly  between  flanges  of  girders, 
and  where  tight  fits  are  called  for,  the  ends  of  stiffeners  shall  be  faced  and  be 


ORDINARY  SPECIFICATIONS  51 

brought  to  a  true  contact  bearing  with  flange  angles.  Web  splice  plates,  and 
fillers  under  stiffeners,  shall  be  cut  to  fit  within  £  inch  of  flange  angles.  The  clear- 
ance between  ends  of  spliced  web  plates  shall  not  exceed  £  inch.  The  several 
pieces  forming  one  built  member  shall  be  straight  and  fit  closely  together. 
Finished  members  shall  be  free  from  twists,  bends,  or  open  joints.  Com- 
pression joints,  depending  upon  contact  bearing,  shall  have  surfaces  truly  faced 
so  as  to  have  full  contact  bearing  when  perfectly  aligned  and  riveted  up  com- 
plete. All  faces  and  surfaces  shall  be  truly  planed  where  so  required  by  the 
contract.  Pin  holes  shall  be  bored  after  members  are  riveted ;  shall  be  true  to 
gauges,  smooth,  straight,  at  right  angles  to  the  axis  of  the  member,  and  parallel 
to  each  other,  unless  otherwise  specified;  shall  be  accurately  spaced  to  within 
s"z  inch.  Pins  and  rollers  shall  be  accurately  turned  to  gauges  and  shall  be 
straight  and  smooth  and  entirely  free  from  flaws.  Diameter  of  pin  holes  shall 
not  exceed  diameter  of  pins  by  more  than  &  inch.  Screw  threads  shall  make 
tight  fits  in  the  nuts  and  shall  be  United  States  standard,  except  above  the 
diameter  of  If  inch,  when  they  shall  be  made  with  6  threads  per  inch.  Steel, 
except  in  minor  details,  which  has  been  partially  heated,  shall  be  annealed. 
Welds  in  steel  will  not  be  allowed.  Ends  of  tension  rods  shall  be  upset  so  that 
failure  in  service  would  occur  in  the  body  of  the  rods.  Expansion  bedplates 
shall  be  planed  true  and  smooth ;  cast  wall-plates  shall  be  planed  top  and  bot- 
tom; cut  of  planing  tool  shall  correspond  with  the  direction  of  the  expansion. 
Pins,  nuts,  bolts,  rivets,  and  other  small  details  shall  be  boxed  or  crated ;  weights 
shall  be  plainly  marked  on  the  packages.  Field  rivets  shall  be  furnished  to  the 
amount  of  15  per  cent  plus  10  rivets  in  excess  of  the  nominal  number  required 
for  each  size. 

16.  Preparation  of  material  before  assembling.  —  Material  shall  be  thoroughly 
straightened  in  the  shop  by  methods  which  will  not  injure  it,  and  be  cleaned  of 
rust  and  dirt  if  such  exists  before  being  laid  off  or  worked  in  any  way.     Shear- 
ing shall  be  neatly  done  and  all  portions  of  the  work  which  will  be  exposed  to 
view  after  completion  shall  be  neatly  finished.     Surfaces  in  contact  after  assem- 
bling shall  be  painted  before  being  assembled. 

17.  Rivets,  rivet  holes,  riveting,  and  bolts.  —  Size  of  rivets  as  designated  on 
plans  shall  be  understood  to  mean  the  actual  size  of  the  cold  rivet  before  heating. 
Pitch  of  rivets  shall  not  be  less  than  3  times  the  diameter  of  the  rivet,  nor 
greater  than  6  inches  or  16  times  the  thickness  of  the  thinnest  outside  section. 
Punching  shall  be  accurately  done;  when  general  reaming  is  not  required,  the 
diameter  of  the  punch  shall  not  be  more  than  j^  inch  greater  than  the  diameter 
of  the  rivet,  nor  the  diameter  of  the  die  more  than  £  inch  greater  than  the  diam- 
eter of  the  punch;  material  more  than  f  inch  thick  shall  be  subpunched  and 
reamed  or  drilled  from  the  solid ;  drifting  to  enlarge  unfair  holes  will  not  be  per- 
mitted; if  holes  must  be  enlarged  to  admit  the  rivet,  they  shall  be  reamed;  poor 
matching  of  holes  will  be  cause  for  rejection.     Riveted  members  shall  have  all 
parts  well  pinned  up,  and  firmly  drawn  together  with  bolts  before  riveting  is 
commenced.     Rivets  shall  be  driven  by  pressure  tools  wherever  possible  and 
pneumatic  hammers  shall  be  used  in  preference  to  hand  driving.     Completed 
rivets  shall  look  neat  and  finished;  shall  have  heads  of  approved  shape,  full  and 
of  equal  size;  heads  shall  be  central  on  shank  and  grip  the  assembled  pieces 
firmly.     Recupping  and  caulking  of  rivets  will  not  be  permitted.     Loose, 


52  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

burned,  or  otherwise  defective  rivets  shall  be  cut  out  and  replaced;  great  care 
shall  be  taken  in  cutting  out  rivets  not  to  injure  the  adjacent  metal,  and,  if 
necessary,  they  shall  be  drilled  out.  Whenever  bolts  must  be  used  in  place  of 
rivets  to  transmit  shear,  the  holes  shall  be  reamed  parallel  and  the  bolts  turned 
to  a  driving  fit;  washers  not  less  than  |  inch  thick  shall  be  used  under  nuts. 

18.  Reamed  work.  —  When  reaming  is  required  by  the  contract,  the  punch 
used  shall  have  a  diameter  not  less  than  ^  inch  smaller  than  the  nominal  diam- 
eter of  the  rivet.     Reaming  shall  be  done  after  the  pieces  forming  one  built 
member  are  assembled  and  firmly  bolted  together,  using  twist  drills  having 
diameter  ^  inch  larger  than  the  nominal  diameter  of  the  rivet.     Outside  burrs 
on  reamed  holes  shall  be  removed. 

19.  Shop  paint  and  painting.  —  All  steel  work,  except  rods  for  reenforcing 
concrete,  shall  be  painted  or  coated  at  the  shop  before  shipment.     Exposed 
surfaces  which  are  inaccessible  after  fabrication  shall  be  given  two  coats  of 
paint;  all  other  surfaces,  except  machine-finished  surfaces  but  including  sur- 
faces in  contact  after  assembling,  shall  be  given  one  coat  of  paint.     All  surfaces 
shall  be  carefully  cleaned  of  all  moisture,  scale,  rust,  grease,  dirt,  chips,  and 
other  foreign  matter  before  being  painted,  and,  in  case  two  coats  of  paint  are 
required,  the  first  coat  shall  be  dry  before  the  second  coat  is  applied.     No  paint- 
ing shall  be  done  in  wet  or  freezing  weather  except  under  cover.     Machine- 
finished  surfaces  shall  be  coated  with  white  lead  and  tallow  before  being  put  out 
into  the  open  air.     Paint  for  shop  coats  shall  be  composed  of  red  lead,  white 
zinc,  raw  linseed  oil,  and  turpentine  Japan  dryer  mixed  in  proportions  of  100 
pounds  of  lead,  20  pounds  of  zinc,  5  gallons  of  oil,  and  3|  pints  of  dryer.    Paint 
shall  be  freshly  mixed  in  small  quantities  and  be  well  stirred  before  using. 
Paint  materials  shall  conform  to  Navy  Standard  Specifications,  so  far  as  same 
are  applicable. 

20.  Shop  inspection.  —  The  manufacturer  shall  furnish  all  facilities  for  in- 
specting and  testing  the  weight  and  quality  of  workmanship  at  the  shop  where 
material  is  manufactured.     Shop  inspection  will  be  made  by  an  inspecting 
engineer  assigned  by  the  Bureau  of  Yards  and  Docks,  unless  such  inspection 
shall  not  be  considered  warranted  by  the  Bureau  because  of  the  magnitude  or 
the  character  of  the  work,  in  which  case  shop  inspection  will  be  made  by  the 
manufacturer.     The  inspecting  engineer  shall  have  full  access  at  all  times  to  all 
parts  of  the  shop  where  material  under  his  inspection  is  being  manufactured. 
The  inspecting  engineer  shall  stamp  each  piece  which  is  accepted  with  a  private 
mark;  any  piece  not  so  marked  may  be  rejected  at  any  time  and  at  any  stage 
of  the  work.     It  shall  be  distinctly  understood  that  shop  inspection  shall  not 
operate  in  any  manner  to  relieve  the  manufacturer  from  full  responsibility  for 
the  accuracy  and  character  of  the  work  in  all  of  its  details,  and  that  errors  or 
faults  which  may  be  discovered  after  delivery  or  during  erection  shall  be  satis- 
factorily corrected  by  the  manufacturer  in  accordance  with  the  requirements 
of  the  contract  and  without  any  increase  in  the  contract  price. 

21.  Loading  and  shipping  invoices.  —  Material  shall  be  so  prepared  for  ship- 
ment and  be  so  loaded  that  it  will  suffer  no  distortion  or  damage  during 
transportation.     Complete  copies  of  shipping  invoices  for  each  shipment,  in 
triplicate,  shall  be  furnished  the  inspecting  engineer,  or  be  forwarded  to  the 
Bureau  of  Yards  and  Docks  in  case  there  has  been  no  inspector  detailed. 


ORDINARY   SPECIFICATIONS  53 

FIELD  WORK. 

22.  Unloading,  storing,  -and  handling.  —  Material  shall  be  unloaded,  stored, 
and  handled  in  such  manner  and  with  such  appliances  and  care  as  to  prevent 
the  distorting  and  injuring  of  the  members  ;  material  which  is  injured  shall  be 
repaired  or  replaced  if  necessary,  as  may  be  required  by  the  officer  in  charge 
and  at  the  expense  of  the  contractor. 

23.  Erecting.  —  All  field  connections  shall  be  riveted.     The  various  mem- 
bers forming  parts  of  a  completed  frame  or  structure  after  being  assembled 
shall  be  accurately  aligned  and  adjusted  before  riveting  is  begun.     All  require- 
ments specified  for  shop  work  which  are  applicable  shall  apply  to  field  work. 

24.  Painting  steelwork  after  erection.  —  Steel  for  reenforcing  concrete  shall 
not  be  painted.     Surfaces  which  are  to  remain  in  free  contact  with  air  but 
which  are  to  be  covered  in  or  incased  by  brickwork,  fireproofing  or  framing, 
shall  be  given  one  coat  of  paint.     All  surfaces  which  are  to  remain  exposed 
upon  the  completion  of  the  structure,  both  exterior  and  interior,  shall  be  given 
two  coats  of  paint.     Surfaces  which  have  been  chafed  or  imperfectly  covered 
shall  be  properly  retouched  and  allowed  to  dry  before  applying  any  final  coat 
of  paint.    Freshly  painted  surfaces  shall  be  allowed  to  dry  before  being  inclosed. 
Both  coats  of  paint  used  for  finishing  exposed  surfaces  shall  be  composed  of 
white  lead  and  boiled  linseed  oil,  which  conform  with  requirements  of  Navy 
Standard  Specifications,  mixed  in  proportions  and  colored  as  may  be  directed 
by  the  officer  in  charge.     Paint  used  for  inclosed  surfaces  shall  be  the  same  as 
required  for  shop  coat.     Painting  shall  be  done  only  at  such  times  as  may  be 
approved  by  the  officer  in  charge  and  subject  to  the  same  restrictions  as  to 
weather  and  preparation  of  surfaces  as  specified  for  shop  coats.     Succeeding 
coats  of  paint  shall  be  mixed  so  as  to  vary  somewhat  in  color  in  order  that  there 
may  be  no  confusion  as  to  the  surfaces  which  have  been  painted. 

25.  Steel  for  reenforcing  concrete.  —  Steel  shall  be  stored  under  shelter  ;  shall 
be  cleaned  from  all  loose  scale,  oil,  grease  and  dirt  before  being  embedded  ; 
and  shall  be  secured  in  place  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  officer  in  charge. 

Copies  of  the  above  specifications  can  be  obtained  upon  application  to  the 
various  navy  pay  offices  or  to  the  Bureau  of  Supplies  and  Accounts,  Navy 
Department,'  Washington,  D.  C. 

References  :  Bureau  of  Supplies  and  Accounts,  case  102908;  Bureau  of  Yards 
and  Docks,  5,862,  October  3,  1907. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

SPECIAL  FORMS    OF   SPECIFICATIONS. 

THE  specifications  discussed  in  the  last  chapter  were  those  of 
a  general  character,  and  so  worded  that  they  can  be  applied  to 
any  particular  work  by  adding  a  few  pages  describing  the  piece  of 
work  for  which  they  are  to  be  used. 

The  special  forms  to  be  discussed  in  this  chapter  are  those  of 
the  War  and  Navy  Departments  of  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment. In  some  respects  they  are  general  as  well,  especially  as 
regards  the  General  Instructions  for  Bidders  and  General  Condi- 
tions, but  in  the  latter  parts  they  are  applied  to  special  pieces 
of  work. 

Many  of  the  clauses  in  both  the  War  and  Navy  specifications 
are  prescribed  by  law,  while  others  are  forms  which  have  become 
established  by  long  usage. 

The  specification  for  dredging  Olympia  Harbor  is  one  that  we 
will  discuss  in  detail ;  it  is  issued  by  the  Engineer's  Department 
of  the  War  Department. 

The  first  section  is  the  advertisement  of  the  work,  which  is 
also  published  in  newspapers  of  both  national  and  local  circula- 
tion, so  as  to  reach  all  the  persons  or  firms  likely  to  bid  on  such 
work.  In  this  is  named  the  day,  hour,  and  place  at  which  bids 
will  be  received.  The  information  is  also  given  that  " Specifica- 
tions, blank  forms,  and  all  available  information  will  be  furnished 
on  application"  at  the  U.  S.  Engineer's  office,  in  the  Burke 
Building,  Seattle,  Washington. 

Then  follow  the  "  specifications "  proper,  which  are  divided 
into  "General  Instructions  for  Bidders,"  "General  Conditions," 
and  lastly  "Special  Conditions." 

After  these  are  blank  forms  for  "Proposal  for  Dredging," 
"Guarantee  to  Accompany  Proposal,"  for  a  corporation  or  bond 
company,  and  "Guarantee  to  Accompany  Proposal,"  for  indi- 
viduals. 

We  will  now  proceed  to  discuss  these  in  detail  by  taking  them 
up  item  by  item  as  far  as  the  limitations  of  this  work  will  permit. 

54 


SPECIAL  FORMS  OF  SPECIFICATIONS  55 

Item  No.  1.  Under  general  instructions  for  bidders,  refers  to 
the  United  States  statutes,  which  prohibit  the  importation  of 
aliens  or  foreigners,  under  contract,  to  perform  labor  in  the 
United  States.  This  law  was  made  supposedly  to  protect  the  citi- 
zens of  the  United  States,  but  in  some  respects  I  regard  it  as  a 
very  bad  thing,  as  it  is  part  and  parcel  of  all  such  laws  as  the 
tariff  law,  which  in  theory  are  entirely  wrong.  I  do  not  believe 
that  in  the  great  majority  of  cases  any  great  harm  is  done  to 
citizens  of  the  United  States  by  foreigners  being  allowed  to  come 
into  the  country,  because  conditions  are  very  often  such  that  it 
is  almost  impossible  to  carry  on  a  piece  of  work  of  any  magni- 
tude without  the  aid  of  foreigners  or  foreign  laborers. 

Item  No.  2.  Is  another  clause  somewhat  similar  to  No.  1, 
giving  preference  to  the  use  of  articles  of  domestic  production. 

Item  No.  3.  Specifies  that  no  proposals  will  be  considered 
unless  accompanied  by  a  guaranty.  This  guaranty  will  be 
found  at  the  end  of  the  specification.  The  one  usually  filled  out 
is  from  a  surety  company,  agreeing  that  it  will  go  on  the  bond  of 
the  contractor  in  case  the  contract  is  awarded  to  him.  It  used  to 
be  customary  to  go  to  some  friends  and  ask  them  to  go  on 
the  bond,  but  now  there  are  surety  and  bond  companies  that 
stand  ready  to  go  on  a  bond  for  almost  any  amount.  This  re- 
lieves the  contractor  of  the  necessity  of  asking  friends  to  go  per- 
sonal security  for  him  —  a  thing  which  a  great  many  do  not  like 
to  do.  Only  the  other  day  a  gentleman  asked  me  to  sign  a  bond 
fora  small  amount;  I  did  so,  but  it  was  very  much  against  my 
inclination.  The  thing  to  do  is  to  go  to  a  surety  company 
when  you  want  a  bond  for  any  work,  and  let  others  do  the 
same.  The  guaranties  on  the  succeeding  pages  are  for  indi- 
vidual securities.  The  blank  spaces  explain  themselves.  All 
bonds  for  the  War  Department  are  made  in  triplicate  (Item  4) ; 
the  first  being  for  the  engineer  in  charge  of  the  work,  the  second 
for  the  division  engineer,  and  the  third  goes  to  the  War  Depart- 
ment at  Washington. 

The  guaranty  is  specified  under  Item  5,  to  be  signed  by 
the  surety  company,  or  by  two  responsible  guarantors. 

Item  No.  6.  Specifies  that  an  individual  a  member  of  the 
firm  or  corporation  or  partnership  will  not  be  accepted  as  a 
surety,  this  being  the  same  in  effect  as  a  person  going  on  his 
own  bond. 


56  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

Item  No.  7.  Specifies  how  the  signature  to  a  bond  should  be 
made  and  witnessed,  together  with  the  seal,  etc.  In  the  case 
of  a  corporation  going  on  a  bond,  it  has  to  file  with  the  bond 
a  blank  form,  properly  filled  out,  showing  that  the  official  signing 
for  the  corporation  is  properly  authorized  to  do  so,  and  that 
the  bonds  have  been  accepted  by  the  War  Department  at 
Washington. 

Item  No.  8.  Specifies  the  exact  amount  for  which  each  guar- 
antor must  justify  for  this  particular  piece  of  work.  There 
are  some  blanks  at  the  end  for  bondsmen  to  fill  out.  Each 
bondsman  is  required  to  go  before  a  notary  public  or  some  other 
like  official  and  swear  that  he  is  worth  double  the  amount  of 
money  for  which  he  goes  on  a  bond,  over  and  above  all  his  just 
debts  and  liabilities. 

Item  No.  10.  Refers  to  something  which  is  more  fully  set 
forth  in  Bolles's  book  on  Commercial  Law.  In  effect  it  is  that 
where  a  contract  of  any  kind  is  made  by  or  with  a  corporation, 
one  or  more  of  the  officers  of  the  corporation,  who  are  duly 
authorized  to  do  so,  must  sign  the  contract  or  agreement  in 
behalf  of  the  corporation.  The  name  of  the  corporation  must 
be  signed,  and  the  name  of  the  official  who  is  authorized  to  act 
for  the  corporation,  together  with  his  title,  and  the  seal  of  the 
corporation  attached.  The  Government  always  requires  that  a 
company  making  a  contract  shall  file  with  the  department  a  copy 
of  the  minutes  or  records  of  the  company,  showing  where  and  how 
this  official  was  authorized  to  act  and  sign  for  the  company. 

Item  No.  11.  Requires  all  prices  to  be  written  out  in  full,  as 
well  as  expressed  in  figures,  so  as  to  make  sure  that  they  may  be 
rightly  understood  and  that  no  mistake  may  occur. 

Item  No.  12.  Requires  that  a  copy  of  the  advertisement  call- 
ing for  bids,  instructions  to  bidders,  and  specifications  must  be 
securely  attached  to  the  proposal.  In  all  cases  where  the  War 
Department  is  concerned  these  are  all  attached  and  bound 
together. 

Item  No.  13.  Makes  it  obligatory  on  the  part  of  the  bidder 
to  make  out  his  bid  or  proposal  without  the  aid  or  assistance 
of  any  person  in  the  employ  of  the  Government.  This  is  as  a 
guard  against  any  collusion  or  favoritism. 

Item  No.  14.  Specifies  that  no  bidder  will  be  informed  directly 
or  indirectly  of  the  name  of  any  person  who  is  making  a  bid  or 


SPECIAL  FORMS  OF  SPECIFICATIONS  57 

who  is  going  to  make  a  bid  for  the  same  piece  of  work.  This 
is  considered  necessary  in  order  to  prevent  collusion  between 
two  or  more  parties  or  firms  bidding  for  the  same  work. 

Item  No.  15.  Requires  that  all  the  blank  spaces  in  the  pro- 
posal and  bond  must  be  filled  in,  and  that  no  change  must  be 
made  in  the  wording.  In  some  instances  there  may  be  added  to 
a  bid  supplemental  figures  on  some  other  basis,  but  only  occa- 
sionally is  a  bid  accepted  in  which  the  work  is  to  be  done  on  a 
changed  specification. 

Item  No.  16.  Provides  that  in  case  there  are  any  alterations 
or  erasures  the  same  must  be  fully  explained. 

Item  No.  17.  Provides  that  a  bidder  can  withdraw  his  bid 
before  the  time  set  for  opening  same,  if  he  so  desires. 

Item  No.  18.  Provides  that  no  bid  can  be  received  after  the 
time  set.  The  War  Department,  and  in  fact  all  the  Government 
Departments,  are  very  particular  about  having  the  bids  filed 
exactly  according  to  regulations.  That  is,  the  bids  must  be 
enclosed  in  the  manner  specified  and  the  envelopes  must  be 
addressed  in  just  such  a  way,  and  must  state  what  the  bid  is 
for,  and  the  name  of  the  bidder,  etc.  There  must  not  be  too 
much,  either;  but  if  a  single  word  that  ought  to  be  there  is  left 
out  it  might  be  construed  as  making  the  bid  informal,  and  the 
bid  might  be  thrown  out  for  that  reason  alone. 

Item  No.  20.  Specifies  that  the  quantities  and  the  measure- 
ments given  are  only  approximate,  and  that  no  claim  shall  be 
made  against  the  United  States  for  any  difference  after  the  work 
is  started.  The  same  thing  is  true  about  the  locality.  The 
bidder  is  expected  to  examine  the  locality  for  himself,  and  the  lay 
of  the  ground,  so  that  he  may  know  what  he  is  bidding  on,  and  he 
must  also  make  sure  what  kind  of  material  is  to  be  excavated. 

Item  No.  21.  Specifies  that  the  United  States  has  the  right  to 
reject  any  and  all  bids,  and  also  reserves  the  right  to  waive  any 
informality  if  it  so  desires ;  it  then  goes  on.  to  specify  the  causes 
that  may  invalidate  the  proposal. 

Item  No.  22.  Specifies  that  the  bidder  shall  enter  into  the 
contract  and  give  a  bond  for  the  sum  of  five  thousand  dollars, 
and  that  this  bond  must  be  furnished  within  ten  days.  This 
bond  is  for  the  faithful  performance  of  the  work  according 
to  contract.  In  case  the  work  is  not  so  performed,  the  bond  is 
forfeited,  or  the  bondsmen  may  arrange  to  complete  the  work. 


58  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

Item  No.  23.  Is  a  clause  directing  how  the  affidavit  of  sureties 
should  be  made. 

Item  No.  24.  Invites  bidders  to  be  present  at  the  opening  of 
the  bids. 

Item  No.  25.  The  first  paragraph  under  General  Conditions 
specifies  that  all  the  bidding  papers  must  not  only  be  attached 
to  the  proposal  but  that  they  become  a  part  of  the  contract 
itself. 

Item  No.  26.  Requires  the  contractor  to  furnish  the  Depart- 
ment with  his  regular  address. 

Item  No.  27.  Prohibits  the  contractor  from  subletting  his 
work.  The  reason  for  this  is  that  the  Government  wants  to  deal 
directly  and  only  with  the  party  who  is  doing  the  work.  While 
the  contractor  very  often  does  sublet  work,  the  Government 
does  not  in  any  legal  way  recognize  the  subcontractor. 

Item  No.  29.  Makes  the  engineer  officer  in  charge  the  sole 
arbiter  as  to  the  quality  and  quantity  of  the  materials  and  work. 

Item.  No.  30.  Provides  for  the  terms  of  payment  on  the  work 
as  it  progresses.  This  is  usually  done  under  monthly  estimates 
made  by  the  engineer  in  charge.  A  certain  percentage  of  the 
work  done  is  paid  for  each  month,  the  balance  being  held  until 
the  completion  of  the  work  and  the  acceptance  of  the  same, 
when  the  final  and  full  payment  is  made. 

Item  No.  31.  Requires  the  contractor  to  prosecute  the  work 
with  faithfulness  and  energy,  and  names  the  time  for  the  comple- 
tion of  the  work  as  eight  calendar  months.  That  is  a  very  fair 
length  of  time  in  this  instance,  but  a  great  many  Government 
contracts  make  the  time  entirely  too  short. 

Item  No.  32.  Specifies  the  conditions  under  which  extensions 
of  time  are  granted. 

Item  No.  33.  Requires  the  contractor  to  stand  between  the 
Government  and  any  claimant  to  any  patented  article  that  may 
be  used. 

Item  No.  34.  Is  the  first  of  " Special  Conditions."  The  items 
from  No.  34  to  No.  55,  inclusive,  are  quite  explicit,  and  tell  what 
the  work  is  that  is  to  be  done  and  how  it  is  to  be  done.  These 
paragraphs  come  up  closely  to  the  definition  we  had  in  the 
last  chapter. 

Item  No.  35.  Gives  the  exact  dimensions  of  the  channel  to 
be  excavated. 


SPECIAL  FORMS  OF  SPECIFICATIONS  59 

Item  No.  36.  States  that  the  material  to  be  excavated  is  be- 
lieved to  be  mud  and  sand,  but  that  no  guaranty  will  be  given 
as  to  its  exact  character.  The  Government  offers  to  give  all  the 
information  it  has,  but  it  is  usually  impossible  to  tell  without 
examination  just  what  is  the  character  of  the  material  to  be 
excavated. 

There  is  nothing  which  requires  any  special  mention  in  the 
other  paragraphs,  except  that  I  should  like  to  call  attention 
to  one  of  the  clauses,  Item  51,  which  requires  that  no  work  shall 
be  done  on  Sundays  or  national  holidays,  except  in  case  of  emer- 
gency, and  that  no  work  shall  be  done  between  sunset  and  sun- 
rise; but  I  never  knew  a  case  where  this  latter  clause  was  not 
waived  by  the  engineer  officer. 

Specification  for  Dredging  Olympia  Harbor,  Washington. 

Advertisement. 
U.  S.  ENGINEER  OFFICE, 

ROOM  602  BURKE  BUILDING,  SEATTLE,  WASH. 
November  15,  1902. 

Sealed  proposals  for  DREDGING  OLYMPIA  HARBOR,  WASH.,  will  be 
received  at  this  office  until  12  o'clock  noon,  December  18,  1902,  and  then 
publicly  opened.  Specifications,  blank  forms,  and  all  available  information 
will  be  furnished  on  application  to  this  office. 

JOHN  MILLIS,  Maj.  Engrs. 

SPECIFICATIONS. 

GENERAL  INSTRUCTIONS  FOR  BIDDERS. 

1.  The  attention  of  bidders  is  especially  invited  to  the  acts  of  Congress 
approved  February  26,  1885,  and  February  23,  1887,  as  printed  in  vol.  23, 
page  332,  and  vol.  24,  page  414,  United  States  Statutes  at  Large,  which 
prohibit  the  importation  of  foreigners  and  aliens,  under  contract  or  agree- 
ment, to  perform  labor  in  the  United  States  or  Territories  or  the  District 
of  Columbia. 

2.  Preference  will  be  given  to  articles  or  materials  of  domestic  production, 
conditions  of  quality  and  price  being  equal,  including  in  the  price  of  foreign 
articles  the  duty  thereon. 

3.  No  proposal  will  be  considered  unless  accompanied  by  a  guaranty  which 
should  be  in  manner  and  form  as  directed  in  these  instructions. 

4.  All  bids  and  guaranties  must  be  made  in  triplicate,  upon  printed  forms 
to  be  obtained  at  this  office. 

5.  The  guaranty  attached  to  each  copy  of  the  bid  must  be  signed  by  an 
authorized  surety  company,  or  by  two  responsible  guarantors,  to  be  certified 


60  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

as  good  and  sufficient  guarantors  by  a  Judge  or  clerk  of  a  United  States 
Court,  United  States  District  Attorney,  United  States  Commissioner,  or  Judge 
or  clerk  of  a  State  court  of  record,  with  the  seal  of  said  court  attached. 

6.  A  firm  as  such  will  not  be  accepted  as  surety,  nor  a  partner  for  a 
copartner  or  firm  of  which  he  is  a  member.     Stockholders  who  are  not 
officers  of  a  corporation  may  be  accepted  as  sureties  for  such  corporation. 
Sureties,  if  individuals,  must  be  citizens  of  the  United  States. 

7.  When  the  principal,  a  guarantor,  or  a  surety,  is  an  individual,  his  sig- 
nature to  a  guaranty  or  bond  shall  have  affixed  to  it  an  adhesive  seal.     Cor- 
porate seals  will  be  affixed  by  corporations,  whether  principals  or  sureties. 
All   signatures  to   proposals,   guaranties,   contracts,   and   bonds   should   be 
written  out  in  full,  and  each  signature  to  guaranties,  contracts,  and  bonds 
should  be  attested  by  at  least  one  witness,  and,  when  practicable,  by  a 
separate  witness  to  each  signature. 

8.  Each  guarantor  will  justify  in  a  sum  of  two  thousand  five  hundred 
($2,500)  dollars.     The  liability  of  the  guarantors  and  bidder  is  determined 
by  the  Act  of  March  3,  1883,  22  Statutes,  487,  Chap.  120,  and  is  expressed  in 
the  guaranty  attached  to  the  bid. 

9.  A  proposal  by  a  person  who  affixes  to  his  signature  the  word  "presi- 
dent," "secretary,"  "agent,"  or  other  designation,  without  disclosing  his 
principal,  is  the  proposal  of  the  individual.     That  by  a  corporation  should 
be  signed  with  the  name  of  the  corporation,  followed  by  the  signature  of 
the  president,  secretary  or  other  person  authorized  to  bind  it  in  the  mat- 
ter, who  should  file  evidence  of  his  authority  to  do  so.      That  by  a  firm 
should  be  signed  with  the  firm  name,  either  by  a  member  thereof  or  by  its 
agent,  giving  the  names  of  all  members  of  the  firm.     Anyone  signing  the 
proposal  as  the  agent  of  another  or  others,  must  file  with  it  legal  evidence 
of  his  authority  to  do  so. 

10.  The  place  of  residence  of  every  bidder,  and  post-office  address,  with 
county  and  state,  must  be  given  after  his  signature. 

11.  All  prices  must  be  written  as  well  as  expressed  in  figures. 

12.  One  copy  each  of  the  advertisement,  the  instructions  for  bidders,  and 
the  specifications,  all  of  which  can  be  obtained  at  this  office  on  application 
by  mail  or  in  person,  must  be  securely  attached  to  each  copy  of  the  proposal 
and  be  considered  as  comprising  a  part  of  it. 

13.  Proposals   must   be   prepared   without   assistance   from   any   person 
employed  in  or  belonging  to  the  military  service  of  the  United  States  or 
employed  under  this  office. 

14.  No  bidder  will  be  informed,  directly  or  indirectly,  of  the  name  of  any 
person  intending  to  bid  or  not  to  bid,  or  to  whom  information  in  respect  to 
proposals  may  have  been  given. 

15.  All  blank  spaces  in  the  proposal  and  bond  must  be  filled  in,  and  no 
change  shall   be  made  in  the  phraseology  of  the  proposal,  or  addition  to 
the   items    mentioned    therein.      Any   conditions,    limitations,    or    provisos 
attached  to  proposals  will  be  liable  to  render  them  informal  and  cause  their 
rejection. 

16.  Alterations  by  erasure  or  interlineation  must  be  explained  or  noted 
in  the  proposal  over  the  signature  of  the  bidder. 


SPECIAL  FORMS  OF  SPECIFICATIONS  61 

17.  If  a  bidder  wishes  to  withdraw  his  proposal  he  may  do  so  before  the 
time  fixed  for  the  opening  without  prejudice  to  himself,  by  communicating 
his  purpose  in  writing  to  the  officer  who  holds  it,  and,  when  reached,  it  shall 
be  handed  to  him  or  his  authorized  agent,  unread. 

18.  No  bids  received  after  the  time  set  for  opening  of  proposals  will  be 
considered. 

19.  The  proposals  and  guaranties  must  be  placed  in  a  sealed  envelope 
marked  "Proposals  for  DREDGING  OLYMPIA  HARBOR,  to  be  opened 
December  18,  1902,"  and  inclosed  in  another  sealed  envelope  addressed  to 
MAJOR  JOHN  MILLIS,  Corps  of  Engineers,  but  otherwise  unmarked.     It 
is  suggested  that  the  inner  envelope  be  sealed  with  sealing  wax. 

20.  It  is  understood  and  agreed  that  the  quantities  given  are  approxi- 
mate only,  and  that  no  claim  shall  be  made  against  the  United  States  on 
account   of   any   excess   or   deficiency,    absolute   or   relative,    in  the  same. 
Bidders,  or  their  authorized  agents,  are  expected  to  examine  the  maps  and 
drawings  in  this  office,  which  are  open  to  their  inspection,  to  visit  the  locality 
of  the  work,  and  to  make  their  own  estimates  of  the  facilities  and  difficul- 
ties attending  the  execution  of  the  proposed  contract,  including  local  con- 
ditions, uncertainty  of  weather,  and  all  other  contingencies. 

21.  The  United  States  reserves  the  right  to  reject  any  and  all  bids,  and 
to  waive  any  informality  in  the  bids  received;   also  to  disregard  the  bid  of 
any  failing  bidder  or  contractor  known  as  such  to  the  Engineer  Department; 
or  any  bid  which  is  palpably  unbalanced  or  obviously  below  what  the  work 
can  be  done  for;   or  the  bid  of  any  bidder  who  shall  fail  to  produce,  when 
called  upon  to  do  so,  evidence  satisfactory  to  the  Engineer  Officer  in  charge 
of  the  said  bidder's  ability  to  do  the  contemplated  work  within  the  required 
time,  including  his  control  of  the  necessary  means  and  equipment.     The 
failure  of  a  bidder  to  make  satisfactory  progress,  or  to  complete  on  time 
similar  work  under  previous  contracts  with  the  United  States,  will  be  duly 
considered  in  canvassing  bids,  and  may  be  a  valid  cause  for  the  rejection  of 
his  proposal.     Reasonable  grounds  for  supposing  that  any  bidder  is  inter- 
ested in  more  than  one  bid  for  the  same  item  will  cause  the  rejection  of  all 
bids  in  which  he  is  interested. 

22.  The  bidder  to  whom  award  is  made  will  be  required  to  enter  into 
written  contract  with  the  United  States,  with  good  and  approved  security, 
in  an  amount  of  five  thousand  ($5,000)  dollars,  within  ten  (10)  days  after 
being  notified  of  the  acceptance  of  his  proposal.     The  contract  which  the 
bidder  and  guarantors  promise  to  enter  into  shall  be,  in  its  general  pro- 
visions, in  the  form  adopted  and  in  general  use  by  the  Engineer  Department 
of  the  Army,  blank  forms  of  which  can  be  inspected  at  this  office,  and  will  be 
furnished,  if  desired,  to  parties  proposing  to  put  in  bids.     Parties  making 
bids  are  to  be  understood  as  accepting  the  terms  and  conditions  contained 
in  such  form  of  contract. 

23.  The  sureties,  if  individuals,  are  to  make  and  subscribe  affidavits  of 
justification  on  the  back  of  the  bond  to  the  contract,  and  they  must  justify 
in  amounts  which  shall  aggregate  double  the  amount  of  the  penal  sum 
named  in  the  bond. 

24.  Bidders  are  invited  to  be  present  at  the  opening  of  the  bids. 


62  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

GENERAL  CONDITIONS. 

25.  A  copy  of  the  advertisement,  and  of  the  specifications,  instructions 
and  conditions,  will  be  attached  to  the  contract  and  form  a  part  of  it. 

26.  The  contractor  should,  within  ten  days  from  the  award  of  the  contract, 
furnish  the  office  with  the  postoffice  address  to  which  communications  should 
be  sent. 

27.  Transfers  of  contracts,  or  of  interests  in  contracts,  are  prohibited  by  law. 

28.  The  contractor  will  not  be  allowed  to  take  advantage  of  any  error 
or  omission  in  these  specifications  as  full  instructions  will  always  be  given 
should  such  error  or  omission  be  discovered. 

29.  The  decision  of  the  Engineer  Officer  in  charge  as  to  quality  and  quan- 
tity shall  be  final. 

30.  Payments  will  be  made  monthly  for  material  removed  over  those 
portions  of  the  channel  and  basin  where  full  depth  has  been  secured  and 
maintained  during  the  month.     A  percentage  of  ten  (10)  per  centum  will 
be  reserved  from  each  payment  until  final  completion  of  the  work. 

31.  The  contractor  will  be  required  to  prosecute  the  work  with  faithful- 
ness and  energy,  and  he  will  be  required  to  complete  it  within  eight  calendar 
months  after  the  date  of  notification  of  approval  of  the  contract  by  the  Chief 
of  Engineers,  U.  S.  Army. 

32.  Unless    extraordinary   and    unforeseeable   conditions   supervene,    the 
time  allowed  in  these  specifications  for  the  completion  of  the  contract  to  be 
entered  into  is  considered  sufficient  for  such  completion  by  a  contractor 
having  the  necessary  plant,    capital  and  experience.     If  the  work  is  not 
completed  within  the  period  stipulated  in  the  contract,  the  Engineer  Officer 
in  charge  may,  with  the  prior  sanction  of  the  Chief  of  Engineers,  waive  the 
time  limit,  and  permit  the  contractor  to  finish  the  work  within  a  reasonable 
period,  to  be  determined  by  the  said  Engineer  Officer  in  charge.     Should 
the  original  time  limit  be  thus  waived,  all  expenses  for  inspection  and  super- 
intendence and  other  actual  loss  and  damages  to  the  United  States  due  to 
the  delay  beyond  the  time  originally  set  for  completion  shall  be  determined 
by  the  said  Engineer  Officer  in  charge,  and  deducted  from  any  payments 
due  or  to  become  due  to  the  contractor:    Provided,  however,  that  the  party 
of  the  first  part  may,  with  the  prior  sanction  of  the  Chief  of  Engineers, 
waive  for  a  reasonable  period  the  time  limit  originally  set  for  completion,  and 
remit  the  charges  for  expenses  of  superintendence  and  inspection  for  so  much 
time  as,  in  the  judgment  of  the  said  Engineer  Officer  in  charge,  may  actually 
have  been  lost  on  account  of  unusual  freshets,  ice,  rainfall,  or  other  abnormal 
force  or  violence  of  the  elements,  or  by  epidemics,  local  or  State  quarantine 
restrictions,  or  other  unforeseeable  cause  of  delay  arising  through  no  fault  of 
the  contractor,  and  which  prevented  him  from  commencing  or  completing  the 
work  or  delivering  the  materials  within  the  period  required  by  the  contract: 
Provided,  further,  that  nothing  in  these  specifications  shall  affect  the  power  of 
the  party  of  the  first  part  to  annul  the  contract  as  provided  in  the  form  of 
contract  adopted  and  in  use  by  the  Engineer  Department  of  the  Army. 

33.  The  contractor  will  be  required  to  hold  the  United  States  harmless 
against  all  claims  for  the  use  of  any  patented  article,  process,  or  appliance  in 
connection  with  the  contract  herein  contemplated. 


SPECIAL  FORMS  OF  SPECIFICATIONS  63 

SPECIAL  CONDITIONS. 

34.  The  dredging  to  be  done  consists  in  completing  the  excavation  of  a 
channel  extending  from  deep  water  in  Budd  Inlet  to  the  city  wharves  a  dis- 
tance of  about  8,600  feet,  with  a  turning  basin  at  the  inner  end. 

35.  The  channel  when  completed  will  have  a  bottom  width  of  250  feet,  a 
depth  of  twelve  feet  below  mean  lower  low  water  and  side  slopes  not  steeper 
than  1  horizontal  to  1  vertical.   The  turning  basin  will  be  of  the  dimensions 
shown  on  the  drawing  herewith  and  it  will  have  the  same  depth  and  side 
slopes  as  the  channel. 

36.  The  material  to  be  excavated  is  believed  to  be  mud  and  sand,  but  no 
guaranty  can  be  given  as  to  its  character.     All  available  information  in  the 
possession  of  the  Engineer  Officer  in  charge  concerning  the  work  will  be  given 
intending  bidders  upon  application. 

37.  The  quantity  of  material  to  be  removed  is  estimated  at  55,000  cubic 
yards  measured  in  place. 

Should  the  amount  available  not  be  sufficient  to  complete  the  channel  and 
basin  as  above,  a  narrower  channel  of  full  depth,  and  the  basin  of  full  depth  and 
size,  will  be  excavated. 

38.  The  present  depths  of  water  over  the  area  to  be  dredged  range  from  29 
feet  to  18  feet  below  the  plane  of  high  water.     The  depth  of  material  to  be 
excavated  will  vary  from  0  to  9  feet.     The  extreme  range  of  tide  is  20J  feet. 

39.  The  limits  of  dredging  will  be  given  by  agents  of  the  United  States,  and 
dredging  done  outside  the  prescribed  limits  will  not  be  paid  for.     No  additional 
allowance  or  payment  will  be  made  for  additional  excavation  or  other  work, 
service,  or  material,  that  may  be  necessary  to  secure  a  channel  and  basin  of  the 
clear  dimensions  specified  and  shown  on  the  drawings. 

40.  The  contractor  will  be  required  to  supply,  place,  and  maintain,  at  his 
own  expense,  the  necessary  approved  stakes,  piles,  tide  gauges,  lines,  anchors, 
buoys,  flags,  etc.,  for  marking  the  ranges  and  limits  of  dredging.     All  stakes, 
piling,  dolphins,  or  other  auxiliary  structures  which  it  may  be  necessary  to 
place  or  erect  in  connection  with  the  dredging  work  shall  be  removed  by  the 
contractor  at  his  own  expense  when  any  such  piling,  etc.,  becomes  no  longer 
needed,  or  before  the  final  completion  of  the  contract,  as  may  be  required  by 
the  Engineer  Officer  in  charge. 

41.  The  dredged  material  is  to  be  deposited  in  deep  water  in  Budd  Inlet  on 
Puget  Sound  where  it  will  reach  depths  not  less  than  50  feet  at  extreme  low 
water;  or  the  material  may  be  deposited  on  the  land  side  of  established  harbor 
lines  of  Olympia  Harbor  as  may  be  arranged  between  the  contractor  and 
owners  of  lands  on  which  such  deposit  is  made,  if  suitable  bulkheads  are  pro- 
vided or  other  dispositions  are  made  to  insure  that  the  material  will  not  find 
its  way  to  the  channel  or  harbor  side  of  such  lines.     Any  arrangement  for  dis- 
posing of  dredged  material  other  than  by  deposit  in  deep  water  of  Budd  Inlet 
is  to  be  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  Engineer  Officer  in  charge. 

42.  Snags,  piles,  boulders,  or  other  obstructions  that  may  be  encountered 
in  the  area  to  be  dredged  shall  be  removed  by  the  contractor  and  disposed  of  as 
may  be  approved  by  the  Engineer  Officer  in  charge  without  extra  compensation. 

43.  Dredging  is  to  begin  at  the  outer  or  northern  end  of  the  channel,  and 
the  channel  is  to  be  excavated  to  full  dimensions  as  the  work  progresses 


64  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

southward.     If  in  addition  the  contractor  desires  to  put  other  dredgers  at 
work  on  the  inner  portions  of  the  channel,  this  may  be  done. 

44.  The  contractor  must  be  either  present  on  the  work  while  it  is  in  prog- 
ress or  be  represented  by  a  competent  person  having  immediate  charge  of 
the  work  with  full  authority  to  receive  and  act  upon  instructions  that  may 
be  given  by  the  Engineer  Officer  in  charge  or  his  authorized  representative. 

45.  Government  inspectors  are  not  authorized  to  waive  or  alter  in  any 
respect  any  of  the  terms  or  requirements  of  the  contract,  to  make  additional 
requirements,  to  grant  extensions  or  delays,  or  to  waive  forfeitures.     The 
contractor  shall  not  be  entitled  to  payment  for  any  improper  work  accepted 
or  allowed  by  an  inspector. 

46.  Payment  will  be  made  by  the  cubic  yard  of  the  original   volume 
occupied  by  the  excavated  material  within    the  channel  and  basin  limits 
herein  specified,   as  determined  by  surveys  and  calculations  made  under 
direction  of  the  Engineer  Officer  in  charge. 

47.  Should  filling  occur  due  to  the  plant  or  methods  of  the  contractor  during 
the  progress  of  the  work  the  contractor  is  to  clear  the  channel  and  basin  to  full 
dimensions  without  extra  compensation  before  final  acceptance  and  payment. 

48.  The  acceptance,  approval  of,  or  payment  for  any  portion  of  the  work 
under  this  contract  shall  not  release  the  contractor  from  the  obligation  to  secure 
at  the  contract  price  the  full  required  depth,  width  and  side  slopes  in  that  part 
before  the  completion  and  final  acceptance  of  the  work  as  a  whole. 

49.  The  work  must  be  so  conducted  as  to  interfere  as  little  as  practicable 
with  present  uses  of  the  channel.     The  contractor  shall  display  suitable  lights 
each  night  between  sunset  and  sunrise  upon  his  vessels. 

50.  The  United  States  will  not  be  responsible  for  any  damage  or  injury  to 
the  contractor's  employees,  plant  or  materials,  or  for  any  damage  done  by  or  to 
them  from  any  source  or  cause. 

51.  No  work  shall  be  done  on  Sundays  or  on  legal  National  holidays,  except 
in  case  of  emergency.     No  work  shall  be  done  between  sunset  and  sunrise  unless 
the  contractor  receives  special  written  authority  from  the  Engineer  Officer  in 
charge.     Any  work  done  in  violation  of  these  requirements  shall  not  be  esti- 
mated or  paid  for. 

52.  Any  doubt  as  to  the  meaning  of  the  specifications  and  any  obscurity  in 
the  wording  of  them  will  be  explained  by  the  Engineer  Officer  in  charge,  who 
shall  have  the  right  to  correct  any  errors  or  omissions  in  them  when  such  cor- 
rection is  necessary  for  the  proper  fulfillment  of  their  intention. 

In  case  his  interpretation  is  objected  to  by  the  contractor,  the  latter  may 
appeal  to  the  Chief  of  Engineers. 

53.  If  the  contractor  has  any  claim  to  make  against  the  United  States  on 
account  of  this  contract,  he  shall  file  it  with  the  Engineer  Officer  in  charge 
before  final  payment  is  made,  stating  in  detail  reasons,  quantities  and  amounts. 
Otherwise  the  receipt  for  the  final  payment  shall  state  that  the  account  is  cor- 
rect and  just,  and  in  full  for  all  work  done,  material  furnished  and  services  ren- 
dered under  or  in  connection  with  the  contract. 

54.  By  the  Engineer  Officer  in  charge,  as  used  in  these  specifications,  is 
meant  the  officer  who  signs  this  contract  on  behalf  of  the  United  States  or  his 
duly  appointed  successor. 


SPECIAL  FORMS  OF  SPECIFICATIONS  65 

55.  Should  any  employee  of  the  contractor  be,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Engi- 
neer Officer  in  charge,  incompetent  or  disorderly,  or  evade  the  orders  and  in- 
structions given  him,  he  shall  be  immediately  discharged  upon  the  request  of 
the  Engineer  Officer  in  charge  and  not  re-employed  on  the  work.  Such  dis- 
charge, however,  shall  not  form  the  basis  of  any  claim  for  compensation  or 
damages  against  the  United  States  or.any  of  its  officers  or  agents. 

Proposal  for  Dredging. 

: ,  1902. 

To  MAJOR  JOHN  MILLIS, 

Corps  of  Engineers,  U.  S.  Army, 

Seattle,  Washington. 
SIR: 

In  accordance  with  your  advertisement  of  November  15,  1902,  inviting 
"Proposals  for  DREDGING  OLYMPIA  HARBOR,  WASH.,"  and  subject  to 
all  the  conditions  and  requirements  thereof,  and  of  your  specifications  for  the 
same,  dated  November  15,  1902,  copies  of  both  of  which  are  hereto  attached, 
and,  so  far  as  they  relate  to  this  proposal,  are  made  a  part  of  it,  we  (or)  I  pro- 
pose to  do  the  dredging  at  the  rate  of ( ) 

cents  per  cubic  yard. 


We  (or)  I  make  this  proposal  with  a  full  knowledge  of  the  kind  and  quan- 
tity of  the  work  required,  and,  if  it  is  accepted,  will,  after  receiving  written 
notice  of  such  acceptance,  enter  into  contract  within  the  time  designated  in  the 
specifications,  with  good  and  sufficient  sureties  for  the  faithful  performance 
thereof. 

(Signature) 

(Address) 

(Signature) 

(Address) 

(Signed  in  Triplicate.) 

Guaranty  to  Accompany  Proposal. 
(For  a  Corporation.^ 

The  , 

of ,  a  corporation  existing  under  the  laws  of 

the  State  of ,  hereby  undertake  that  if  the  bid  of 

herewith  accompanying, 

dated ,  1902,  for  DREDGING  OLYMPIA  HAR- 
BOR, WASH.,  be  accepted  as  to  any  or  all  of  the  services  proposed  to  be  fur- 
nished thereby,  or  as  to  any  portion  of  the  same,  within  sixty  days  from  the 

date  of  the  opening  of  proposals  therefor,  the  said  bidder 

will,  within  ten  (10)  days  after  notice  of  such  acceptance,  enter  into  contract 
with  the  proper  officer  of  the  United  States  to  do  such  dredging  and  such  ser- 
vices of  those  proposed  to  be  furnished  by  said  bid  as  shall  be  accepted,  at  the 


66  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

prices  offered  by  said  bid  and  in  accordance  with  the  terms  and  conditions  of 
the  advertisement  inviting  said  proposals,  and  will  give  bond  with  good  and 
sufficient  surety  or  sureties,  as  may  be  required,  for  the  faithful  and  proper 
fulfillment  of  such  contract.  And  said  corporation  hereby  binds  itself  and  its 
successors  to  pay  to  the  United  States,  in  case  the  said  bidder  shall  fail  to  enter 
into  such  contract  or  give  such  bond  within  ten  (10)  days  after  said  notice  of 
acceptance,  the  difference  in  money  between  the  amount  of  the  bid  of  said 
bidder  on  the  services  so  accepted  and  the  amount  for  which  the  proper 
officer  of  the  United  States  may  contract  with  another  party  to  furnish  said 
services,  if  the  latter  amount  be  in  excess  of  the  former. 

IN  WITNESS  WHEREOF,  The  name  and  corporate  seal  of  said  corpora- 
tion has  been  hereto  affixed  this day  of 

,   1902,   and  these  presents  duly  signed  by  its* 

,  pursuant  to  a  resolution  of  itsf 

passed  on  the day  of , 

A.  D ,  a  copy  of  the  record  of  which  is  on  file  in  the  War  Department. 

Attest: 

t 

By 


(Executed  in  Triplicate.) 

*    The  president  or  officer  authorized  to  sign  for  the  corporation, 
t    The  board  of  directors  or  other  governing  body  of  the  corporation. 
$    Here  affix  the  corporate  seal. 

Guaranty  to  Accompany  Proposal. 

(For  Individuals.) 

We 

of ,  in  the  County  of 

and  State  of ,  and ,  of 

,  in  the  County  of and  State  of 

,  hereby  undertake  that  if  the  bid  of 

herewith  accompanying,  dated , 

1902,  for  DREDGING  OLYMPIA  HARBOR,  WASH.,  be  accepted  as  to  any 
or  all  of  the  services  proposed  to  be  furnished  thereby,  or  as  to  any  portion  of 
the  same,  within  sixty  days  from  the  date  of  the  opening  of  proposals  therefor, 

the  said  bidder 

will,  within  ten  (10)  days  after  notice  of  such  acceptance,  enter  into  a  con- 
tract with  the  proper  officer  of  the  United  States  to  do  such  dredging  and  such 
services  of  those  proposed  to  be  furnished  by  said  bid  as  shall  be  accepted,  at 
the  prices  offered  by  said  bid  and  in  accordance  with  the  terms  and  conditions 
of  the  advertisement  inviting  said  proposals,  and  will  give  bond  with  good  and 
sufficient  sureties  for  the  faithful  and  proper  fulfillment  of  such  contract.  And 
we  bind  ourselves,  our  heirs,  executors  and  administrators,  jointly  and  sev- 
erally, to  pay  to  the  United  States,  in  case  the  said  bidder  shall  fail  to  enter 
into  such  contract  or  give  such  bond  within  ten  (10)  days  after  said  notice  of 
acceptance,  the  difference  in  money  between  the  amount  of  the  bid  of  said 
bidder  on  the  services  so  accepted  and  the  amount  for  which  the  proper 


SPECIAL  FORMS  OF  SPECIFICATIONS  67 

officer  of  the  United  States  may  contract  with  another  party  to  furnish  said 
services,  if  the  latter  amount  be  in  excess  of  the  former. 

Given  under  our  hands  and  seals  this day  of , 

nineteen  hundred  and  two. 
In  presence  of 

as  to * 

as  to * 

(In  Triplicate.) 
*  Affix  adhesive  seal. 

STATE  OF ) 

County  of ) 

I, ,  one  of  the  guarantors  named 

in  the  foregoing  guaranty,  do  swear  that  I  am  pecuniarily  worth  the  sum  of 

dollars,  over  and  above  all 

my  debts  and  liabilities. 


Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  this day  of 

,  190  ,  at 

.* 

STATE  OF  

County  of 

I,  ,  one  of  the  guarantors  named  in 

the  foregoing  guaranty,  do  swear  that  I  am  pecuniarily  worth  the  sum  of 

dollars,  over  and  above  all 

my  debts  and  liabilities. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  this day  of , 

190  ,  at 

* 

I, t do  hereby  certify  that 

and ,  the  guarantor    above 

named,  personally  known  to  me,  and  that,  to  the  best  of  my 

knowledge  and  belief, J  is  pecuniarily  worth,  over  and  above 

all  his  debts  and  liabilities,  the  sum  stated  in  the  accompanying  affidavit  sub- 
scribed by  him. 

I, ,  do  hereby  certify  that 

,  the  guarantor  above  named,  is  personally  known  to 

me,  and  that,  to  the  best  of  my  knowledge  and  belief,  he  is  pecuniarily  worth, 
over  and  above  all  his  debts  and  liabilities,  the  sum  stated  in  the  accompanying 
affidavit  subscribed  by  him. 

*  The  oath  to  be  taken  before  a  United  States  Commissioner,  a  clerk  of  a  United  States 
Court,  notary  public  or  some  other  officer  having  general  authority  to  administer  oaths. 
If  the  officer  has  an  official  seal  it  must  be  affixed,  otherwise  the  proper  certificate  as  to 
his  official  character  must  be  furnished. 

t  This  certificate  to  be  by  a  judge  or  clerk  of  a  United  States  Court,  a  United  States 
district  attorney,  a  United  States  Commissioner,  or  a  judge  or  clerk  of  a  State  court  of 
record  with  the  seal  of  said  court  attached.  If  the  official  can  make  the  certificate  as  to 
both  sureties,  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  fill  out  the  next  form  below. 

1  He  or  each. 


68  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

Specification  for  Constructing  Road  into  Mount  Rainier 
National  Park,  Wash. 

Advertisement. 
U.  S.  ENGINEER  OFFICE, 

ROOM  602  BURKE  BUILDING,  SEATTLE,  WASH. 

July  20,  1904. 

Sealed  proposals  for  constructing  road  into  Mount  Rainier  National  Park  will 
be  received  at  this  office  until  12  M.,  August  3,  1904,  and  then  publicly  opened. 
Specifications,  blank  forms,  and  all  available  information  will  be  furnished  on 
application  at  this  office,  or  to  the  Assistant  Engineer's  office,  Berlin  Building, 
Tacoma,  Wash. 

JOHN  MILLIS,  Maj.  Engrs. 

SPECIFICATIONS. 

GENERAL  INSTRUCTIONS  FOR  BIDDERS. 

[Practically  the  same  as  in  the  advertisement  for  bids  on  the  Olympia  Har- 
bor dredging  work.  See  page  59] 

SPECIAL  CONDITIONS. 

34.  The  proposed  road  is  to  extend  from  the  west  boundary  of  the  National 
Park  Reserve  to  Camp  of  the  Clouds.     It  will  have,  generally,  a  four  per  cent 
gradient  between  Longmire  Springs  and  Camp  of  the  Clouds,  a  distance  of 
about  15  miles.     From  Longmire  Springs  down  to  the  west  boundary  of  the 
reserve,  a  distance  of  about  10  miles,  the  gradient  will  average  less  than  two  per 
cent. 

35.  Under  this  contract  a  road  will  be  constructed  from  the  vicinity  of  Long- 
mire Springs  as  directed,  and  extending  towards  Camp  of  the  Clouds  as  far  as 
may  be  possible  with  the  funds  available.     This  amount  is  about  $22,000.00. 

36.  The  work  in  general  consists  in  clearing,  grubbing,  excavating,  filling, 
ditching,  draining,  bridging,  compacting  earthwork,  and  such  other  work  as 
may  be  necessary  to  construct  a  first-class  earth  road.     The  price  bid  for  each 
class  of  work  shall  be  full  compensation  for  furnishing  all  labor,  material  and 
tools  of  every  description  and  for  doing  all  work  herein  specified,  to  the  satis- 
faction of  the  Engineer  Officer  in  charge. 

CLEARING. 

37.  Roadway  will  be  cleared  as  defined  on  the  ground  by  stakes  to  be  set  by 
the  Government  agent.     The  width  of  clearing  will  generally  be  30  feet  on  each 
side  of  center  line  of  proposed  road,  though  it  may  be  necessary  to  increase  this 
width  along  steep  sidehill  cuts.     All  rotting  fallen  and  standing  trees,  stumps, 
brush  and  other  vegetation  shall  be  cut  off  at  the  general  level  of  the  surround- 
ing ground,  except  such  as  may,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Government  agent,  be 
desirable  to  leave,  and  shall  be  destroyed  or  removed  beyond  eyesight  from 
the  road.     Proper  care  must  be  taken  not  to  injure  or  mar  those  left  standing. 
Clearing  will  be  paid  for  per  acre  from  measurements  made  of  the  area  actually 
cleared. 


SPECIAL  FORMS  OF  SPECIFICATIONS  69 

Dangerous  trees,  liable,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Government  agent  in  charge,  to 
fall  across  road,  when  outside  of  the  area  to  be  cleared,  must  be  felled  and 
removed  from  the  roadway  by  the  contractor  without  extra  compensation. 

GRUBBING. 

38.  A  strip  13  feet  in  width  on  each  side  of  the  center  line  throughout  the 
whole  distance  and  in  cuts  between  slope  stakes  shall  be  grubbed  by  removing 
the  stumps,  roots  and  decaying  vegetable  matter  and  disposing  of  them  as  in 
paragraph  37,  except  that  grubbing  may  be  omitted  at  the  discretion  of  the 
Government  agent  in  charge  when  the  natural  surface  of  the  ground  is  more 
than  two  feet  below  sub-grade.     Grubbing  will  be  paid  for  per  acre,  the  price 
to  include  the  obliteration  of  all  unsightly  holes  lying  without  the  area  to  be 
graded  caused  by  removal  of  stumps,  etc. 

EXCAVATION. 

39.  All  black  and  mucky  loam  shall  be  removed  from  the  area  to  be  graded 
both  in  cut  and  fill,  and  be  disposed  of  by  spreading  evenly  in  the  clearing  as 
directed.     A  small  quantity  of  little  twigs,  sod  and  other  vegetable  mould  will 
be  permitted  in  embankments,  except  where  grade  passes  from  cut  to  fill. 

40.  Grading  in  cut  and  fill  shall  be  done  to  sub-grade,  four  inches  below  fin- 
ished grade  at  the  center  of  road.     Sub-grade  shall  be  completed  to  required 
cross  section  with  its  surface  left  free  from  stones  larger  than  2  inches  in  diam- 
eter.    Boulders  and  other  rock  appearing  or  known  to  exist  must  be  removed 
to  a  depth  of  9  inches  below  sub-grade. 

41.  All  embankments  to  be  made  with  excavated  material  spread  in  layers 
not  more  than  9  inches  in  thickness.     Each  layer  to  be  rolled  if  embankment 
is  formed  by  "casting."     When  earth  is  brought  to  final  height  it  must  be  har- 
rowed, then  trimmed  by  means  of  a  road  machine  or  scraping  grader,  and  ulti- 
mately rolled  to  a  hard  and  smooth  surface,  the  cross  section  of  the  roadway  to 
be  maintained  during  this  process  by  addition  of  earth  as  needed. 

42.  All  earth  taken  from  cuts  shall  be  used  in  bringing  road  to  sub-grade 
and  in  filling  along  roadway,  either  in  widening  it  uniformly  or  in  increasing  its 
width  at  curves  as  directed. 

43.  All  cuts  and  fills  to  be  left  even  and  regular,  conforming  in  shape  to  the 
alignment  of  the  road,  and  in  slope  to  that  shown  on  cross  sections.     Earth 
cuts  to  have  slopes  generally  not  steeper  than  1  on  1 ;  earth  fills  to  have  slopes 
not  steeper  than  1  on  1£;  rock  cuts  may  have  vertical  face  the  toe  to  be  not 
less  than  13  feet  distant  from  center  of  road. 

44.  Side  ditches  shall  have  a  uniform  grade  and  be  formed  as  shown  on  cross 
sections. 

45.  Earthwork  will  include  material  of  every  class  and  nature  not  otherwise 
specified  and  will  be  paid  for  by  the  cubic  yard  measured  in  excavation.     The 
price  paid  shall  include  the  preparation  of  the  ground  for  filling  as  in  paragraph 
39;  excavating,  delivering  and  forming  into  embankment,  shaping,  trimming 
and  compacting  road  (as  in  paragraphs  40,  41;  42,  and  43) ;  forming  side  ditches 
as  in  paragraph  44;  and  all  other  labor  and  expenses  incidental  to  the  handling 
of  excavated  material  not  otherwise  provided  for,  all  in  conformity  with  the 
cross  section  and  lines  given. 


70  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

46.  Rock  work  will  include  only  such  rock  in  ledges  as  cannot  be  removed 
without  blasting  and  will  be  paid  for  by  the  cubic  yard,  measured  in  excava- 
tion from  lines  given  by  the  Government  agent  after  it  is  stripped  with  pick. 
The  price  to  be  paid  for  rock  excavation  shall  include  its  removal,  (a)  as  pro- 
vided for  clearing  in  paragraph  37 ;  (b)  to  toe  of  fill  in  that  vicinity  and  piling 
solidly  in  retaining  wall  form  or  (c)  and  piling  within  the  cleared  area  as  the 
Government  agent  may  direct. 

47.  The  removal  of  detached  pieces  of  rock  and  boulders  of  every  size,  even 
though  they  may  require  blasting,  also  of  all  material  as  hard  as  rock,  but  not 
commonly  called  rock,  shall  be  included  in  the  bid  for  earthwork. 

RETAINING  WALLS. 

48.  Retaining  walls  of  dry,  uncoursed,  well  scabbled  rubble  shall  be  built  of 
native  rock  in  conformity  with  plans  and  sections  furnished  by  the  Govern- 
ment agent  at  such  places  as  he  will  designate.     They  will  be  paid  for  in  place 
by  the  cubic  yard,  computed  from  the  measurements  made  of  the  wall  as 
actually  built,  except  that  payment  will  not  be  made  for  greater  section  than 
that  called  for  on  the  drawings. 

UNDER   DRAINS. 

49.  When  required  by  the  Government  agent  in  charge,  drain  tile  shall  be 
placed  at  a  depth  of  not  less  than  18  inches  below  the  side  ditch  along  upper 
side  of  road.     This  shall  be  laid  carefully  with  close  joints  and  uniform  grade. 
It  may  also  be  required  at  retaining  walls,  in  which  case  it  will  be  laid  through 
the  wall  as  directed.     In  both  cases  the  tiling  will  be  paid  for  in  place  by  the 
lineal  foot.     Trench  work  for  tiling  will  be  paid  for  by  the  cubic  yard,  measured 
from  sub-grade,  or  from  natural  surface  if  below  sub-grade,  in  excavation,  price 
to  include  back  filling  and  removal  of  surplus  material. 

CROSS  DRAINS. 

50.  When  required  by  the  Government  agent  the  upper  side  ditch  or  under 
drain,  or  both,  shall  be  drained  to  lower  side  of  road  through  sewer  pipe  laid  on 
a  uniform  grade  with  tight  cement  mortar  (one  part  Portland  cement  and  two 
parts  sand)  joints,  at  an  angle  of  30  degrees  with  the  road  in  the  natural  surface 
of  the  ground,  the  top  of  pipe  to  be  not  less  than  one  foot  below  sub-grade. 

The  inlet  shall  consist  of  a  regulation  sewer  pipe  "  Y  "  branch,  the  open  ends 
to  be  surrounded  with  a  cluster  of  cobble  stones  through  which  the  under  drain 
and  side  ditch  will  pass,  the  latter  being  dammed  with  rock  to  direct  the  water 
into  the  cross  drain  and  to  protect  the  end  of  the  "  Y"  branch. 

The  outlet  projecting  through  the  roadway  shall  be  protected  with  a  similar 
cluster  of  stones  placed  in  retaining  wall  form  and  backed  with  earth. 

Cross  drains  will  be  paid  for  by  the  lineal  foot  in  place,  measured  along  center 
line  of  pipe,  price  to  include  necessary  excavation  and  back  fill  and  inlet  and 
outlet  protection. 

CATCH  WATER  DITCHES. 

51.  Catch  water  ditches,  when  required  by  the  Government  agent,  shall  be 
excavated  not  less  than  eight  feet  distant  from  slope  stakes  in  sidehill  cut.  They 
will  be  made  to  an  established  grade ;  will  generally  have  a  bottom  width  of  18 


SPECIAL  FORMS  OF  SPECIFICATIONS  71 

inches  and  slopes  of  1  on  1 ;  the  excavated  material  to  be  banked  on  the  lower 
side  of  the  ditch,  or  may  be  disposed  of  as  for  earthworks,  as  the  Government 
agent  may  elect.  These  will  be  paid  for  by  the  cubic  yard  from  measurements 
in  excavation,  price  to  include  disposal  of  earth. 

52.  Should  it  be  necessary  to  excavate  a  trench  beyond  the  limit  of  slope 
stakes  in  order  to  direct  drainage  away  from  the  roadway,  the  trench  shall  have 
a  bottom  width  of  18  inches  and  side  slopes  of  1  on  1£.     This  will  be  paid  for  as 
catch  water  ditches  under  paragraph  51  from  measurements  in  excavation, 
except  that  price  bid  will  include  earth  disposal  by  equal  distribution  over 
adjacent  surface  instead  of  being  banked. 

CORDUROY. 

53.  Corduroy  to  be  used  at  the  discretion  of  the  Government  agent  across 
wet  and  boggy  places  shall  consist  of  straight  saplings  not  more  than  8  inches 
in  diameter  at  the  butt,  and  length  18  inches  longer  than  the  distance  between 
slope  stakes  where  used.     They  shall  be  laid  close  together  in  two  horizontal 
layers  at  right  angles  to  the  direction  of  the  road,  with  upper  side  not  less  than 
9  inches  below  sub-grade,  with  butts  and  tips  alternating.     It  will  be  paid  for 
in  place  by  the  lineal  foot  of  completed  work  measured  along  the  center  of  the 
road. 

CULVERTS  AND  BRIDGES. 

54.  Culverts  of  sewer  pipe  or  wood  and  short  span  bridges  of  wood  shall  be 
placed  across  beds  of  small  streams  and  springs  and  at  other  points  as  directed. 
When  made  of  sewer  pipe  they  shall  be  laid  same  as  cross  drains,  except  that 
the  angle  made  with  road  may  be  varied  (no  special  grade  will  be  required), 
and  shall  be  covered  with  at  least  18  inches  of  dirt.     When  made  of  wood  they 
may  be  of  hewed  cedar  spiked  to  stringers,  in  which  case  the  upper  side  of  wood 
work  shall  be  placed  not  less  than  9  inches  below  sub-grade,  or  of  sawed  fir  and 
cedar,  placed  at  grade  as  directed  by  and  in  accordance  with  the  plans  of  the 
Government  agent. 

If  of  sewer  pipe  they  will  be  paid  for  same  as  cross  drains;  otherwise  by  the 
thousand  feet,  board  measure,  price  to  include  all  material  of  whatsoever  kind, 
except  drift  bolts.  Drift  bolts  will  be  paid  for  by  the  pound  in  place.  The 
crossings  at  Van  Trump  Creek  and  Nisqually  River  are  specifically  excepted 
from  the  work  required  in  this  paragraph. 

SURFACING. 

55.  Surfacing  of  volcanic  ash  or  other  material  acceptable  to  the  Govern- 
ment agent  in  charge  shall  be  placed  on  and  cover  the  road  to  a  depth  when 
compressed  of  four  inches  at  the  crown,  tapering  to  two  and  one  half  (2£)  inches 
at  the  side  ditches,  as  shown  on  cross  sections.     This  shall  be  placed  in  two 
layers,  each  layer  thoroughly  compacted  with  a  roller  of  approved  pattern,  not 
less  than  ten  tons  in  weight,  and  sprinkled  during  the  process,  if  deemed  neces- 
sary by  the  Government  agent  to  obtain  the  desired  hardness,  adding  enough 
material  to  bring  the  surface  of  the  finished  road  to  grade.     This  will  be  paid 
for  in  place  by  the  square  yard. 


72  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 


CROSS    SECTIONS. 

56.  The  cross  sections  shown  herein  are  to  be  considered  as  types  that  may 
be  modified  to  suit  the  conditions.     Working  cross  sections  will  be  prepared  in 
advance  of  the  work  and  may  vary  from  those  shown  in  (a)  width  at  curves, 
(b)  area  of  side  ditches,  (c)  absence  of  under  drains,  (d)  absence  of  catch  water 
ditches,  (e)  variation  in  slopes. 

57.  All  work  shall  conform  to  the  lines,  grades,  limits,  etc.,  fixed  by  the 
Government  agent,  and  work  done  outside  of  these  lines,  grades,  etc.,  will  not 
be  paid  for. 

58.  The  route  will  be  divided  into  sections  of  convenient  length,  and  the 
contractor  may  be  required  to  give  the  Government  agent  written  notice 
24  hours  in  advance  of  his  intended  opening  of  any  new  work  or  section. 

59.  The  contractor  shall  furnish  at  his  own  expense  the  stakes  required  to 
lay  off  the  work,  as  well  as  the  axmen  required  to  set  and  place  them. 

60.  The  contractor  must  be  either  present  on  the  work  while  it  is  in  progress 
or  be  represented  by  a  competent  person  having  immediate  charge  of  the  work, 
with  full  authority  to  receive  and  act  upon  instructions  that  may  be  given 
him. 

61.  Government  agents  are  not  authorized  to  waive  or  alter  in  any  respect 
any  of  the  terms  or  requirements  of  the  contract,  to  make  additional  require- 
ments, to  grant  extensions  or  delays,  or  to  waive  forfeitures.     The  contractor 
shall  not  be  entitled  to  payment  for  any  improper  work  accepted  or  allowed  by 
an  agent. 

62.  Payment  will  be  made  as  herein  specified  from  measurements  and  cal- 
culations made  under  direction  of  the  Engineer  Officer  in  charge. 

63.  Should  the  bridges  at  Van  Trump  Creek  and  Nisqually  River  not  be  in 
place  when  road  is  completed  to  these  crossings,  the  contractor  may  suspend 
work  at  these  points  temporarily  until  crossing  is  completed,  provided  it  is  so 
completed  prior  to  the  termination  of  his  work  for  the  season. 

64.  The  United  States  will  not  be  responsible  for  any  damage  or  injury  to 
the  employers'  employees,  plant  or  materials,  or  for  any  damage  done  by  or  to 
them  from  any  source  or  cause. 

65.  No  work  shall  be  done  on  Sundays  or  on  legal  national  holidays,  except 
in  case  of  emergency.     Any  work  done  in  violation  of  this  requirement  shall 
not  be  estimated  or  paid  for. 

66.  Any  doubt  as  to  the  meaning  of  the  specifications  and  any  obscurity  in 
the  wording  of  them  will  be  explained  by  the  Engineer  Officer  in  charge,  or  his 
representative.     The  Engineer  Officer  in  charge  shall  have  the  right  to  correct 
any  error  or  omissions  in  them  when  such  correction  is  necessary  for  the  proper 
fulfillment  of  their  intention.     In  case  his  interpretation  is  objected  to  by  the 
contractor  the  latter  may  appeal  to  the  Chief  of  Engineers. 

67.  No  other  work  than  that  directed  or  authorized  by  the  Engineer  Officer 
in  charge  shall  be  done,  either  upon  the  site  of  the  work  or  in  its  vicinity,  nor 
shall  any  building  be  erected  or  trees  cut  down  or  any  other  natural  features  of 
the  park  and  reserve  be  changed  without  proper  written  authority. 

68.  Within  ten  days  after  the  completion  of  the  work  and  before  final  pay- 
ment is  made,  the  contractor  must  remove  and  dispose  of  all  buildings,  shacks, 
unused  material  and  rubbish,  from  every  portion  of  the  park  and  reserve  with 


SPECIAL  FORMS  OF  SPECIFICATIONS  73 

which  he  has  been  connected  under  this  contract,  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
Government  agent.  During  the  progress  of  the  work  the  grounds  are  to  be 
kept  in  a  neat  and  workmanlike  condition,  and  the  contractor's  employees  are 
to  be  required  to  obey  proper  police  and  sanitary  regulations. 

69.  The  contractor  shall  give  notice  to  the  Government  agent  when  he 
intends  to  fire  any  portion  of  the  brush,  etc.,  on  the  area  to  be  cleared,  and  will 
be  held  liable  for  any  damage  done  to  trees,  etc.,  in  the  park  and  reserve  by 
fires  kindled  by  him  or  his  employees. 

70.  All  timber  that  may  be  cut  and  all  other  material  of  value  that  may 
result  from  the  work  remains  the  property  of  the  United  States. 

QUANTITIES. 

71.  For  the  purpose  of  canvassing  the  bids  the  following  quantities  will  be 
assumed,  viz.:  "  .  ' 

Clearing Acres 32 

Grubbing Acres 14 

Earthwork Cubic  yards 30,000 

Rockwork Cubic  yards 

Retaining  walls Cubic  yards 220 

Under  drains,  tiling Lineal  feet 

Trench  work Cubic  yards 100 

Cross  Drains. 

Sewer  pipe Lineal  feet,  12  in 510 

Sewer  pipe Lineal  feet,  18  in 220 

Catch  water  ditches Cubic  yards 2,000 

Corduroy Lineal  feet 200 

Culverts  and  Bridges. 

Lumber Feet,  B.  M 100,000 

Wrought  iron Pounds 100 

Surfacing Square  yards 43,000 

The  right  is  reserved  to  omit  such  of  the  above  as  may  be  found  necessary 
or  advisable  to  keep  the  expenditure  within  the  limits  of  the  funds  avail- 
able, and  surfacing  will  be  considered  first  for  omission. 

72.  If  the  contractor  has  any  claim  to  make  against  the  United  States 
on  account  of  this  contract,  he  shall  file  it  with  the  Engineer  Officer  in  charge 
before   final   payment  is  made,   stating  in   detail   reasons,   quantities  and 
amounts.     Otherwise  the  receipt  for  the  final  payment  shall  state  that  the 
account  is  correct  and  just,  and  in  full  for  all  work  done,  material  furnished 
and  services  rendered  under  or  in  connection  with  the  contract. 

73.  Should  any  employee  of  the  contractor  be,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Engi- 
neer Officer  in  charge,  incompetent  or  disorderly,  or  evade  the  orders  and 
instructions  given  him,  he  shall  be  immediately  discharged  upon  the  request 
of  the  Engineer  Officer  in  charge,  and  not  re-employed  on  the  work.     Such 
discharge,  however,  shall  not  form  the  basis  of  any  claim  for  compensation 
or  damages  against  the  United  States  or  any  of  its  officers  or  agents. 

74.  By  the  Engineer  Officer  in  charge,  as  used  in  these  specifications,  is 
meant  the  officer  who  signs  this  contract  on  behalf  of  the  United  States,  or 
his  duly  appointed  successor. 


74  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

Proposal  for  Constructing  Road  into  Mount  Rainier  National  Park,  Wash. 

To  MAJOR  JOHN  MILLIS,  ,   1904. 

Corps  of  Engineers,  U.  S.  Army, 

Seattle,  Washington. 
SIR: 

In  accordance  with  your  advertisement  of  July  20,  1904,  inviting  pro- 
posals for  constructing  road  into  Mount  Rainier  National  Park,  Wash.,  and 
subject  to  all  the  conditions  and  requirements  thereof,  and  of  your  specifi- 
cations for  the  same,  dated  July  20,  1904,  copies  of  both  of  which  are  hereto 
attached,  and,  so  far  as  they  relate  to  this  proposal,  are  made  a  part  of  it,  we 
(or)  I  propose  to  furnish  all  the  necessary  materials,  labor,  machinery  and 
appliances,  and  to  do  the  specified  work  at  the  following  prices: 

Clearing dollars  and cents  per  acre 

Grubbing dollars  and cents  per  acre 

Earthwork Cents  per  cubic  yard 

Rockwork Cents  per  cubic  yard 

Retaining  walls Cents  per  cubic  yard 

Under  Drains: 

4-inch  tile Cents  per  lineal  foot 

5-inch  tile Cents  per  lineal  foot 

6-inch  tile Cents  per  lineal  foot 

8-inch  tile Cents  per  lineal  foot 

Trench  work Cents  per  cubic  yard 

Cross  Drains  and  Culverts: 

10-inch  sewer  pipe Cents  per  lineal  foot 

12-inch  sewer  pipe Cents  per  lineal  foot 

14-inch  sewer  pipe Cents  per  lineal  foot 

20-inch  sewer  pipe Cents  per  lineal  foot 

24-inch  sewer  pipe Cents  per  lineal  foot 

Catch  water  ditches Cents  per  cubic  yard 

Corduroy Cents  per  lineal  foot 

Culverts  and  Bridges: 

Hewed  timber , dollars  and cents  per  1,000  ft.,  B.  M. 

Sawed  lumber dollars  and cents  per  1,000  ft.,  B.  M. 

Wrought  iron Cents  per  pound 

Surfacing Cents  per  square  yard 

We  (or)  I  make  this  proposal  with  a  full  knowledge  of  the  kind  and  quan- 
tity of  the  work  required,  and,  if  it  is  accepted,  will,  after  receiving  written 
notice  of  such  acceptance,  enter  into  contract  within  the  time  designated  in 
the  specifications,  with  good  and  sufficient  sureties  for  the  faithful  perform- 
ance thereof.  (Signature).. 


(Address) 

(Signature) 

(Address) 

(Signed  in  Triplicate.) 

Guaranty  to  Accompany  Proposal. 

(For  a  Corporation.) 

[Practically  the  same  as  in  the  advertisement  for  bids  on  the  Olympia 
Harbor  dredging  work.] 


SPECIAL  FORMS  OF  SPECIFICATIONS  75 

Specification  No.  1432  for  Extension  of  Quay  Wall  West  of 
Dry  Dock  at  the  U.  S.  Navy  Yard,  Puget  Sound,  Wash. 

UNDER   APPROPRIATION    "NAVY    YARD,   PUGET  SOUND,   WASH.; 
QUAY  WALL,   EXTENSION." 

Act  Approved  April  27,  1904. 


GENERAL   PROVISIONS. 

1.  Intention.  —  It  is  the  declared  and  acknowledged  intention  and  mean- 
ing to  provide  and  secure  an  extension  to  the  concrete  quay  wall  on  the  west 
side  of  the  dry  dock  to  a  point  beyond  wharf  No.  2,  as  shown  on  the  accom- 
panying plans. 

2.  Contract.  —  The  contract  to  cover  the  work  to  be  done  will  be  based 
upon  this  specification  and  the  plans  to  which  it  refers,  which  will  be  attached 
to  and  form  a  part  thereof. 

3.  Omissions  and  misdescriptions.  —  The  omission   from  the  contract,  or 
from  the  plans,  specification,  or  other  papers  attached  thereto  and  forming  a 
part  thereof,  or  the  misdescription  of  any  details  of  work,  the  proper  per- 
formance  of  which   is   necessary  to   carry  out   fully  the   intention   above 
expressed,  shall  not  operate  to  release  the  contractor  from  performing  such 
work,  but  the  same  shall  be  fully  and  properly  performed  in  the  same  man- 
ner as  if  fully  and  correctly  shown,  described,  and  required  in  and  by  the 
contract,  and  without  expense  to  the  United  States  in  addition  to  the  con- 
tract price. 

4.  Discrepancies.  —  Should    any    discrepancy    exist    between    plans    and 
specification,  or  any  parts  of  either,  or  should  the  language  of  any  part  of 
the  contract  be  ambiguous  or  doubtful,  the  civil  engineer  or  other  officer  or 
agent  of  the  United  States  in  charge  of  the  work  shall  decide  as  to  the  true 
intent  and  meaning,  subject  only  to  appeal  to  the  Chief  of  the  Bureau  of 
Yards  and  Docks. 

5.  Control  of  work.  —  The  United  States,  by  its  officer  in  charge  of  the 
work  or  other  authorized  representative,  shall  at  all  times  have  full  control 
and  direction  of  all  work  under  the  contract,  and  all  questions,  disputes,  or 
differences  as  to  any  part  or  detail  thereof  shall  be  decided  by  such  officer 
or  representative,  subject  only  to  appeal  to  the  Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Yards 
and  Docks. 

6.  Facilities.  —  The  contractor  will  be  allowed  reasonable  space  at  the 
site  of  the  work  and  access  to  the  same  for  receiving,  handling,  storing,  and 
working  material,  but  he  shall  confine  both  employees  and  material  to  the 
space  assigned.     Upon  the  completion  of  the  work,  and  before  final  pay- 
ment on  account  of  the  same,  the  contractor  shall  remove  all  of  his  surplus 
material,  machinery,  tools,  etc.,  from  the  naval  station. 

7.  Employees.  —  The    contractor   shall    employ   only  competent,  careful, 
orderly  persons  upon  the  work,  and  if,  at  any  time,  it  shall  appear  to  the 
officer  in  charge  that  any  person  employed  upon  the  work  is  incompetent, 
careless,  reckless,  or  disorderly,  or  disobeys  or  evades  orders  or  instructions, 
or  shirks  his  duty,  such  person  shall  be  immediately  discharged  from  and 
not  again  employed  upon  the  work. 


76  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

8.  Time  of  commencement   of  work.  —  The    contractor   shall   commence 
work  immediately  after  the  execution  of  the  contract,  and  continue  without 
interruption,  unless  otherwise  directed  by  the  United  States  by  its  officer  in 
charge  of  the  work  or  other  authorized  representative,  or  otherwise  herein- 
after provided. 

9.  Time  of  completion.  —  The  entire  work  shall  be  completed  in  every 
respect  and  particular  within  seven  calendar  months  from  the  date  of  the 
contract. 

10.  Extension  of  time.  —  Extensions  of  time  for  the  completion  of  the 
work  may  be  allowed  and  made,  in  writing,  by  the  Chief  of  the  Bureau  of 
Yards  and  Docks.     Any  and  every  extension  of  time  must  be  specifically 
made  and  shall  not  be  implied  from  any  cause  under  any  circumstances. 

11.  Continuance   of  work   after   time.  —  It   is    mutually   understood  and 
agreed  that  in  the  event  of  the  work  not  being  completed  within  the  time 
allowed  by  this  contract,  said  work  shall  continue  and  be  carried  on  accord- 
ing to  all  the  provisions  of  said  contract,  plans,  and  specification,  unless 
otherwise  at  any  time  directed  by  the  party  of  the  second  part,  in  writing, 
and  said  contract  shall  be  and  remain  in  full  force  and  effect  during  the  con- 
tinuance and  until  the  completion  of  said  work,  unless  sooner  revoked  or 
annulled  according  to  its  terms:   Provided,  That  neither  an  extension  of  the 
time  beyond  the  date  fixed  for  the  completion  of  said  work  nor  the  permit- 
ting or  accepting  of  any  part  of  the  work  after  said  date  shall  be  deemed  to 
be  a  waiver  by  the  party  of  the  second  part  of  its  right  to  annul  or  termi- 
nate said  contract  for  abandonment  or  failure  to  complete  within  the  time 
specified  in  paragraph  9,  or  to  impose  and  deduct  damages  as  hereinafter 
provided. 

12.  Damages  for  delay.  —  In  case  the  work  is  not  completed  within  the 
time   specified   in   paragraph   9,   or  the  time   allowed   by  the  Chief  of  the 
Bureau"  of  Yards  and  Docks  under  paragraph  10  of  this  specification,  it  is 
distinctly  understood  and  agreed  that  deductions  at  the  rate  of  $5  per  day 
shall  be  made  from  the  contract   price  as   liquidated  damages,  and  not  as 
penalty,  for  each  and  every  calendar  day  after  and  exclusive  of  the  date 
within  which  completion  was  required,  up    to  and  including   the  date  of 
completion  and  acceptance  of  the  work,  said  sum  being  specifically  agreed 
upon  in  advance  as  the  measure  of  damage  to  the  United  States  by  reason 
of  delay  in  the  completion  of  the  work;  and  the  contractor  agrees  and  con- 
sents that  the  contract  price,   reduced  by  the  aggregate  of  damages  so 
deducted,  shall  be  accepted  in  full  satisfaction  for  all  work  done  under  the 
contract. 

13.  Unavoidable  delays.  —  Unavoidable  delays  are  such   as   result  from 
causes   which   are   undoubtedly,    or  may   reasonably  be   presumed   to   be, 
beyond  the  control  of  the  contractor,  such  as  acts  of  Providence,  unusual 
storms,   fires    (not  the   result   of  negligence),   fortuitous   events,    inevitable 
accidents,  etc.     Delays  caused  by  acts  of  the  United  States  will  also  be 
regarded  as  unavoidable  delays.     Should    the  progress  of  the  work  be,  or 
seem  likely  to  be,    delayed    at  any  time   by  such   causes,    the    contractor 
shall  at  once  notify  the  officer  in  charge,  in  writing,  of  the  occurrence,  in 
order  that  a  record  of  the  same  may  be  made.     Should  it  be  decided  that 


SPECIAL  FORMS  OF  SPECIFICATIONS  77 

the  delay  was  unavoidable,  a  corresponding  extension  of  time  for  the  com- 
pletion of  the  work  may  be  allowed,  but  it  is  distinctly  understood  that 
should  the  contractor  fail  or  neglect  to  notify  the  officer  in  charge  as  above 
provided,  such  omission  shall  be  construed  as  a  waiver  of  all  claim  and 
right  to  an  extension  of  time  for  the  completion  of  the  work  on  account  of 
such  delay. 

14.  Avoidable  delays.  —  Avoidable  delays  are  such  as  result  from  causes 
which  the  contractor  might,  by  care,  prudence,  or  foresight,  have  guarded 
against  or  prevented.     No  extension  of  time  will  be  allowed  on  account  of 
such  delays. 

15.  Progress  of  work.  —  If  at  any  time  the  progress  of  the  work  shall,  in 
the  opinion  of  the  officer  in  charge,  appear  to  have  been  such  as  to  indicate 
that  the  work  is  not  likely  to  be  completed  within  the  time  allowed,  he  shall 
report  such  opinion  to  the  Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Yards  and  Docks,  who  may, 
in  his  discretion,  declare  the  contract  null  and  void,  without  prejudice  to 
the  right  of  the  United  States  to  recover  for  defaults  therein  or  violations 
thereof. 

16.  Annulment   of  contract.  —  Should   the    contract   for   any    reason   be 
declared  null  and  void,  the  contractor  shall  thereupon  become  indebted  to 
the  United  States  as  for  ascertained  and  liquidated  damages  in  a  sum  equal 
to  the  aggregate  of  all  payments  made  to  him  on  account  of  the  contract, 
and  undertakes  and  promises  to  refund  the  same  to  the  United  States  on 
demand.     And  the  contractor  shall  further  agree  that  the  United  States 
may  hold  all  material   delivered  and  work  done   under  the   contract  and 
all  machinery,  tools,  appliances,  etc.,  upon  the  site  of  the  work  or  used  in 
connection  therewith  pending  the  completion  of  the  work  covered  by  the 
contract.     Upon  the  annulment  of  the  contract,  a  board  of  officers,  or  other 
representatives  of  the  United  States,  shall  be  appointed,  which  shall  ascer- 
tain and  determine  the  value  of  all  material  delivered  and  work  done,  includ- 
ing a  fair  and  reasonable  margin  of  profit  thereon,  and  upon  the  approval 
of  the  findings  of  said  board  by  the   Chief  of  the   Bureau   of  Yards   and 
Docks,  he  may  proceed  to  complete  the  work  according  to  the  contract  in 
such  manner  and  by  such  means  as  he  may  deem  advisable,  and  may,  in  his 
discretion,  use  or  employ  any  material,  tools,  machinery,  appliances,  etc., 
belonging  to  or  furnished  by  the  contractor  for  use  in  connection  with  the 
work  covered  by  the  contract.     Upon  the  completion  of  the  work  the  total 
cost  of  completing  the  same  shall  be  ascertained  and  determined  by  a  similar 
board,  and  its  findings,  when  approved  by  the  Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Yards 
and  Docks,  shall  be  final  and  conclusive  upon  all  parties;  and  should  the 
total  cost  thereof  exceed  the  contract  price,  the  difference  shall  be  charged 
to  the  contractor,  who  undertakes  and  promises  to  pay  the  same  upon 
demand.     Should  the  total  cost  of  the  work  be  less  than  the  contract  price, 
the  contractor  shall  be  entitled  to  receive  the  amount  found  by  the  board 
above  mentioned  to  be  the  value  of  material  delivered  and  work  done  by 
the  contractor,  less  previous  payments  to  him:    Provided,  That  no  allow- 
ance shall  be  made  for  profit  which  the   contractor  might  have  made  by 
completing  the  work,  or  for  any  excess  of  the  contract  price  over  the  total 
cost  of  the  work. 


78  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

17.  Changes.  —  The  United  States  reserves  the  right  to  make  such  changes 
in  the  contract,  plans,  and  specification  as  may  be  deemed  necessary  or 
advisable  by  the  Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Yards  and  Docks.     Should  any 
such  changes  affect  the  cost  of  the  work  by  a  sum  greater  than  $300,  as 
estimated  by  the  officer  in  charge,  the  same  shall  be  ascertained  by  a  board 
of  not  less  than  three  officers  to  be  appointed  under  the  direction  of  the 
Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Yards  and  Docks;  and  the  contractor  shall  agree 
and  consent  that  the  contract  price,  increased  or  decreased  by  the  sum  so 
ascertained,  shall,  if  approved  by  the  Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Yards  and 
Docks,  be  accepted  in  full  satisfaction  for  all  work  done  under  the  contract. 
For  all  changes  estimated  to  cost  not  more  than  $300  the  contractor  shall 
in  like  manner  accept  the  increased  or  decreased  compensation  as  ascer- 
tained by  the  officer  in  charge  of  the  work,  and  approved  or  revised  by  the 
Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Yards  and  Docks:    Provided,  That  any  changes 
determined  upon  as  above  shall  be  stipulated  and  agreed  to,  in  writing,  by 
the  parties  to  the  contract:  And  provided  further,  That  the  increased  or 
decreased  cost  shall  be  the  estimated  actual  cost  to  the  contractor  at  the 
time  of  such  estimate  plus  a  profit  of  10  per  centum. 

18.  Extras.  —  The  contract  price  shall  cover  all  expenses,  of  whatever 
nature  or  description,  connected  with  the  work  to  be  done  under  the  con- 
tract.    No  allowance  whatever  will  be  made  for  additional  or  extra  work  or 
material  except  under  the  provisions  of  paragraph  17  of  this  specification. 

19.  Verbal   modifications.  —  It   is    distinctly   understood   that   no    verbal 
statement  of  any  person  whomsoever  shall  be  allowed  in  any  manner  or 
degree  to  modify  or  otherwise  affect  the  terms  of  this  specification  or  of  the 
contract  for  the  work.     Changes  shall  be  made  only  and  strictly  according 
to  paragraph  17  of  this  specification. 

20.  Patents.  —  The  contractor  shall  forever  protect  and  defend  the  United 
States  in  the  full  and  free  use  and  enjoyment  of  any  and  all  rights  to 
any  invention,  machine,  or  device  which  may  be  applied  as  a  part  of  the 
work,  either  in  its  construction  or  use  after  completion,  against  the  demands 
of  all  persons  whomsoever. 

21.  Contractor's  responsibility.  —  The  contractor  shall  be  responsible  for 
the  entire  work  and  every  part  thereof,  and  for  all  tools,  appliances,  and 
property  of  every  description  used  in  connection  therewith.     All  methods 
of  work,  tools,  and  appliances  shall  be  subject  to  inspection  for  safety  and 
sufficiency,  and  allowance  or  rejection  by  the  officer  in  charge:  Provided, 
That  the  contractor  shall  specifically  and  distinctly  assume  all  risks  of  damage 
or  injury  from  any  cause  to  property  or  persons  used  or  employed  on  or  in 
connection  with  the  work,  and  of  all  damage  or  injury  to  any  person  or  prop- 
erty, wherever  located,  resulting  from  any  action  or  operation  under  the 
contract  or  in  connection  with  the  work,  and  undertakes  and  promises  to 
protect  and  defend  the  United  States  against  all  claims  on  account  of  any 
such  damage  or  injury. 

22.  Contractor's   supervision.  —  The    contractor   shall    give    his    personal 
attention  to  the  work  at  all  times,  and  shall  be  present,  either  in  person  or  by 
a  duly  authorized  representative,  on  the  site  of  the  work  continually  during 
its  progress,  to  receive  directions  or  instructions  from  the  officer  in  charge. 


SPECIAL  FORMS  OF  SPECIFICATIONS  79 

SPECIAL  PROVISIONS. 

2— R 

23.  Plans.  —  Two  sheets  of  plans,  numbered  -^  sheets  1    and  2,  and 

dated  September,  1904,  accompany  this  specification.  This  specification 
and  the  plans  accompanying  it  shall  be  considered  as  supplementary  one 
to  the  other,  so  that  materials  and  workmanship  shown,  called  for,  or 
implied  by  the  one  and  not  by  the  other  shall  be  supplied  and  worked  into 
place  the  same  as  though  specifically  called  for  by  both.  All  detail  plans 
that  may  be  furnished  subsequently  in  further  amplification,  as  well  as  all 
instructions  given  by  the  officer  in  charge  that  may  be  necessary  to  indicate 
more  fully  the  intention  of  the  specification  and  the  above-mentioned  plans, 
shall  be  followed  and  considered  as  though  forming  a  part  of  the  original 
contract.  For  all  portions  of  the  work  the  contractor  shall  submit  the  neces- 
sary detail  plans  to  the  officer  in  charge  for  approval,  unless  otherwise 
directed  by  him,  before  proceeding  with  the  work.  These  details  shall  con- 
form to  the  letter  and  spirit  of  the  specification,  to  any  supplementary  data 
and  instructions,  and  to  the  general  and  detail  plans  already  furnished  to 
the  contractor.  Plans  shall  be  submitted  to  the  officer  in  charge  in  the  form 
of  tracings  or  the  equivalent  as  regards  facility  for  blueprinting.  These 
will  be  returned  to  the  contractor,  either  with  blueprints  of  same  stamped 
"approved,"  or  to  be  revised  as  directed.  In  the  latter  case  the  necessary 
corrections  shall  be  made  and  the  revised  drawings  submitted  before  pro- 
ceeding with  the  work.  Approval  of  plans  will  be  of  a  general  nature  and 
will  not  relieve  the  contractor  from  errors  or  omissions  that  may  exist 
therein.  Previous  to  the  acceptance  of  the  work  one  complete  set  of  tra- 
cings, in  accordance  with  the  actual  work,  of  all  plans  required  of  the  con- 
tractor, if  any,  shall  be  furnished  to  the  Bureau  of  Yards  and  Docks. 

24.  Checking   plans   and  dimensions,    lines   and   levels.  —  The   contractor 
shall   check  all  plans  furnished  him   immediately  upon   their  receipt  and 
promptly   notify   the    officer   in    charge   of    any    discrepancies    discovered 
therein.     Figures  marked  on  plans  shall,  in  general,  be  followed  in  pref- 
erence to  scale  measurements;    but  the  contractor  must  compare  all  plans 
and  verify  the  figures  before  laying  out  the  work,  and  will  be  held  responsible 
for  any  errors  therein  that  thereby  might  have  been  avoided.     Large  scale 
plans  shall,  in  general,  govern  small  scale  plans.     In  all  cases  where  dimen- 
sions are  governed  by  conditions  already  established  the  contractor  must 
depend  entirely  upon  measurements  taken  by  himself,  scale  or  figured  dimen- 
sions to  the  contrary  notwithstanding;  but  no  deviation  from  the  specified 
dimensions  will  be  allowed  unless  authorized  by  the  officer  in  charge.     The 
contractor  will  be  held  responsible  for  the  lines  and  levels  of  his  work,  and 
he  must  combine  all  materials  properly. 

25.  Inspection.  —  The  contractor  must  afford  every  facility  necessary  for 
the  safe  and  convenient  inspection  of  the  work  throughout  its  construction. 
The  officer  in  charge  shall  have  power  to  reject  material  and  workmanship 
which  are  not  in  accordance  with  the  contract,  and  all  such  must  be  removed 
promptly  by  the  contractor  and  replaced  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  officer  in 
charge  without  extra  expense  to  the  Government.     Should  it  be  deemed 
advisable  by  the  officer  in  charge  to  make  an  examination  of  work  already  com- 


80  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

pleted  by  removing  or  tearing  out  the  same,  the  contractor  shall  furnish  all 
necessary  facilities,  labor,  and  material.  If  the  work  is  found  to  be  defective 
in  any  respect,  due  to  the  fault  of  the  contractor,  he  shall  defray  all  expenses 
of  such  examination  and  of  satisfactory  reconstruction.  If  the  work  be  found 
to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  contract  the  actual  cost  will  be  allowed  the  con- 
tractor. Provisional  acceptance  in  the  course  of  construction  shall  not  pre- 
clude rejection  upon  the  discovery  of  defects  previous  to  acceptance  of  the 
completed  work.  All  inspection  of  material  and  workmanship  will  be  made, 
unless  otherwise  stated  herein,  after  delivery  at  the  site. 

26.  Order,  protection,  and  completion  of  work.  —  The  contractor  shall  proceed 
with  the  different  parts  of  the  work  as  approved  by  the  officer  in  charge.     He 
shall  protect  his  material  and  work  from  all  deterioration  and  damage  during 
construction,  and  upon  completion  shall,  without  delay,  remove  his  plant  and 
all  surplus  material  and  rubbish  from  the  site. 

27.  Schedule  of  prices.  —  Before  the  first  payment  becomes  due  the  con- 
tractor  shall  submit  a  detailed  schedule  of  prices  for  material  furnished  and  for 
material  furnished  and  worked  into  place  to  the  officer  in  charge,  who  will  check 
and  forward  same  to  the  Bureau  of  Yards  and  Docks  with  his  recommendation, 
and  this  schedule  will  govern  the  preparation  of  monthly  estimates  after  it  has 
been  approved  by  the  Bureau. 

28.  Payments  and  reservations.  —  Monthly  payments  will  be  made  by  the 
Navy  Department  upon  public  bills,  based  upon  monthly  estimates  and  the 
schedule  of  prices  above  described,  certified  to  by  the  officer  in  charge  and 
approved  by  the  Bureau  of  Yards  and  Docks.     Ten  per  cent  of  the  amount  of 
each  monthly  estimate  will  be  withheld  until  the  completion  of  the  contract 
and  the  acceptance  of  the  work.     All  reservations  thus  withheld  will  then  be 
paid  upon  public  bills  certified  and  approved  as  above. 

29.  Work  to  be  done  by  the  Government.  —  The  Government  will  do  all  earth 
back  filling  behind  the  quay  wall  and  will  furnish  all  pipes,  ringbolts,  or  other 
devices  not  elsewhere  specified,  which  the  contractor  will  be  required  to  incor- 
porate in  the  wall  as  directed.     The  contractor  will  be  required  to  carry  on  his 
work  without  interfering  with  the  ordinary  use  of  the  streets  or  with  the  opera- 
tions of  other  contractors  or  delaying  or  hindering  any  work  done  by  the  Gov- 
ernment, whether  upon  the  site  or  not.     He  shall  make  good  any  damage  to 
Government  property  caused  by  his  operations.     It  is  understood  and  agreed 
that  the  Government  and  the  contractor  will,  so  far  as  possible,  labor  to  mutual 
advantage  where  their  several  works  in  the  above-mentioned  or  in  unforeseen 
instances  touch  upon  or  interfere  with  each  other.     Mutual  concessions  under 
the  direction  of  the  officer  in  charge  shall  be  made  to  secure  this  end.     It  is  also 
further  understood  and  agreed  that  from  any  such  necessary  interference, 
whether  resulting  in  delay  or  additional  expense  or  not,  no  claim  for  extra  com- 
pensation shall  arise,  the  contract  price  covering  all  contingencies  of  every  kind, 
except  for  changes  provided  for  in  paragraph  17  of  this  specification. 

LOCATION. 

30.  The  quay  wall  shall  be  located  as  shown  on  the  plans,  extending  from 
the  west  end  of  the  existing  quay  wall  in  a  general  southwesterly  direction  to  a 
point  beyond  wharf  No.  2. 


SPECIAL  FORMS  OF  SPECIFICATIONS  81 

GENERAL  DESCRIPTION.    ' 

31.  The  work  embraced  in  this  specification  consists  in  furnishing  all  labor, 
tools,  machinery,  and  material  to  build  in  the  best  and  most  workmanlike 
manner,  a  quay  wall  according  to  the  general  design  and  details  of  construc- 
tion, as  shown  on  the  plans  accompanying  this  specification.     This  shall  include 
all  necessary  excavation  or  dredging;  piling  driven  in  place;  all  cast  iron  and 
steel  in  place;  the  placing  of  all  concrete  and  mortar;  cleaning,  washing,  and 
painting;  all  shoring,  rigging,  and  false  work  necessary  for  the  entire  comple- 
tion of  the  wall. 

MATERIALS  AND  WORKMANSHIP. 

32.  Quality.  —  All  materials  and  workmanship  shall  be  of  the  best  quality 
of  their  respective  kinds  when  the  grade  is  not  specifically  mentioned,  and  the 
acceptance  of  same  is  understood  and  agreed  to  be  subject  to  the  approval  of 
'the  officer  in  charge. 

EXCAVATION. 

33.  The  site  for  the  wall  shall  be  excavated  at  least  to  the  depths  shown  on 
drawings,  leaving  a  level  surface  in  the  undisturbed  earth.     Any  additional 
excavation  necessary  to  obtain  a  firm  bed  shall  be  filled  up  with  concrete. 

PILES. 

34.  Piles.  —  All  piles  shall  be  of  first  growth  Douglas  fir,  not  less  than  9 
inches  in  diameter  at  the  small  end  and  14  inches  at  the  butt,  exclusive  of  bark. 
They  shall  be  sound,  straight,  and  free  from  large  knots  or  such  defects  as 
might  impair  their  value  in  this  particular  foundation.     All  piles  shall  be  of  a 
length  such  that  they  may  be  driven  to  refusal  by  the  blow  of  a  2,000-pound 
hammer  falling  freely  15  feet,  or  to  its  equivalent.     After  being  cut  off  at  the 
proper  elevation,  they  must  show  solid  heads,  free  from  cracks  or  brooming. 
Piles  shall  be  at  least  10  feet  long  (below  cut-off),  wherever  practicable  to  drive 
them  this  distance  without  injury  to  the  piles.     The  plane  of  cut-off  for  piles 
shall  in  every  case  be  one  foot  above  the  bottom  of  the  wall.     Pile  heads  em- 
bedded in  concrete  shall  have  the  bark  removed.     All  piles  shall  be  driven, 
using  suitable  iron  rings  on  heads  and  with  ends  pointed  as  required. 

METAL. 

35.  Steel.  —  All  embedded  steel  may  be  plain,  square,  or  round  steel  bars  of 
net  sectional  area  equal  to  that  called  for  on  the  drawings,  and  shall  be  in 
accordance  with  the  "Manufacturers'  Standard  Specifications"  for  "medium 
steel."     A  certified  statement  shall  be  made  to  the  Bureau  of  Yards  and  Docks, 
by  the  manufacturer  furnishing  it,  to  the  effect  that  the  material  conforms  to 
the  specification  requirements. 

36.  Location.  —  Bars  shall  be  distributed  as  shown  on  drawings  and  care- 
fully secured  in  place  while  the  concrete  is  being  tamped  around  them.     The 
rods  in  the  face,  top,  and  bottom  of  the  wall  shall  be  embedded  2  inches  from 
the  surface  of  the  concrete. 

37.  Splices.  —  The  splices  on  longitudinal  steel  rods  shall  be  at  least  2  feet 
long  for  f-inch  rods,  and  splices  in  adjacent  rods  shall  not  occur  in  the  same 


82  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

cross-section  of  the  wall.  Wherever  the  section  of  the  wall  changes  in  height, 
the  rods  of  the  two  sections  shall  overlap  at  least  5  feet.  All  steel  shall  be  abso- 
lutely clean  and  free  from  rust,  scale,  or  oil  as  it  is  embedded  in  the  concrete 
and  mortar. 

PORTLAND  CEMENT. 

38.  Quality.  — -  The  cement  shall  be  a  true  Portland  cement  of  an  established 
brand.     It  must  be  finely  ground  and  free  from  lumps,  caking,  or  watermarks. 

39.  Kind.  —  Slow  setting  cement  will  be  required. 

40.  Packing.  —  Cement  shall  be  packed  in  strong,  well-coopered  barrels, 
lined  with  moisture-proof  or  heavy  manila  paper,  or  in  strong  cotton-duck 
bags;  each  bag  to  contain  one-fourth  or  one-third  of  the  quantity  specified  for 
a  barrel.     A  barrel  shall  have  a  gross  weight  of  not  less  than  400  pounds  and 
the  net  weight  of  the  cement  shall  not  be  less  than  375  pounds. 

41.  Storage.  —  Immediately  upon  delivery  the  cement  shall  be  stored  by 
the  contractor  in  a  dry,  well-covered  and  ventilated  place,  thoroughly  pro- 
tected from  the  weather,  as  directed  by  the  officer  in  charge. 

42.  Chemical  analysis.  —  For  each  lot  of  500  barrels,  or  more,  the  contractor 
shall  supply  a  certified  chemical  analysis  from  the  mill  of  a  mixed  sample  of  the 
cement  taken  from  any  ten  barrels.     If  the  cement  is  supplied  in  bags,  a  chem- 
ical analysis  of  an  amount  equivalent  to  that  specified  for  barrels  shall  be 
furnished.     The  cement  shall  not  contain  more  than  If  per  cent  of  sulphur 
trioxide  (SO3).     The  cement  shall  not  contain  more  than  3  per  cent  of  mag- 
nesia.    The  cement  shall  not  contain  an  excess  of  free  lime. 

43.  Physical  qualities.  —  The  cement  shall  have  a  specific  gravity  of  not  less 
than  3.05  nor  more  than  3.25.     The  color  shall  be  a  uniform  bluish  gray,  free 
from  yellow  or  brown  particles. 

44.  Samples  for  test.  —  Samples  of  the  cement  shall  be  taken  with  a  suitable 
instrument  from  the  interior  of  the  barrels  or  bags.     Samples  shall  be  taken 
from  at  least  three  barrels,  and  in  lots  of  from  twenty  to  fifty  barrels,  from  every 
fifth  barrel,  and  in  lots  of  more  than  fifty  barrels  from  every  tenth  barrel,  or  in 
the  same  proportion  by  weight  if  the  cement  is  supplied  in  bags.     The  separate 
samples  for  each  lot  shall  be  mixed  together  while  dry,  and  the  compound 
without  being  sifted  shall  be  regarded  as  the  sample  for  test. 

45.  Fineness.  —  Ninety-two  per  cent  by  weight  shall  pass  through  a  No.  100 
sieve  having  10,000  meshes  per  square  inch,  the  wires  to  be  No.  40  Stubb's  wire 
gauge,  and  75  per  cent  by  weight  must  pass  through  a  No.  200  sieve  having 
40,000  meshes  per  square  inch,  the  wire  to  be  No.  45  Stubb's  wire  gauge. 

46.  Mixing  neat  cement.  —  All  neat  cement  for  test  shall  be  mixed  rapidly  on 
glass  with  clean  water  of  a  temperature  between  60°  and  70°  F.,  and  in  an  atmos- 
phere not  less  than  60°  F.     The  quantity  of  water  used  may  vary  from  16  to 
23  per  cent  of  that  of  the  cement  by  weight,  and  shall  be  just  sufficient  to  form 
a  stiff  paste. 

47.  Setting  qualities.  —  Five  circular  cakes  of  neat  cement  mixed  as  specified 
in  paragraph  46,  3  inches  in  diameter,  one-half  inch  thick  in  the  center,  and  one- 
eighth  inch  at  the  circumference,  shall  be  molded  on  glass.     They  shall  be  made 
by  rolling  the  cement  paste  into  balls  and  flattening  to  the  form  specified,  care 
being  taken  to  thoroughly  work  the  cement  so  as  to  prevent  any  cracking  at 


SPECIAL  FORMS  OF  SPECIFICATIONS  83 

the  edges  on  account  of  initial  stresses.  One  cake  shall  be  allowed  to  set  in  air 
and  one  immersed  in  sea  water.  Two  wires,  A  and  B,  one-twelfth  and  one 
twenty-fourth  inch  in  diameter  at  their  lower  ends,  and  loaded  with  one-fourth 
pound  and  1  pound,  respectively,  shall  be  used  to  determine  the  setting  quali- 
ties. Cement  shall  be  considered  satisfactory  if  needle  A  makes  an  indenta- 
tion at  the  end  of  forty-five  minutes  and  needle  B  does  not  make  an  indentation 
at  the  end  of  eight  hours  after  having  been  mixed. 

48.  Checking  and  cracking.  —  Three  of  the  cakes  prepared  as  specified  in 
paragraph  47  shall  be  covered  with  wet  cloths  and  allowed  to  set  hard.     One 
cake  shall  be  immersed  in  cold  water  at  the  end  of  twenty-four  hours  and  one 
kept  in  moist  air  above  the  freezing  point.     These  cakes  shall  be  examined 
from  day  to  day  for  a  period  of  twenty-eight  days.     If  either  cake  warps, 
cracks  at  the  edge,  checks  on  the  surface,  or  shows  brown  discoloration,  the 
cement  will  be  rejected.     The  third  cake  shall  be  allowed  to  set  for  three  days 
in  moist  air  at  a  temperature  not  below  60°  F.,  and  then  be  immersed  for  six 
hours  in  boiling  water.     If  it  shows  any  of  the  defects  specified  above,  or 
becomes  soft  or  friable,  the  cement  will  be  rejected.     Fine  hairlike  cracks  on 
the  surface  of  the  cakes  specified  in  this  paragraph  shall  not  be  cause  for 
rejection. 

49.  Sand.  —  The  sand  used  for  making  the  mortar  briquettes  shall  be  No.  4 
standard  crushed  quartz  of  such  size  as  to  pass  through  a  No.  20  sieve  (400 
meshes  to  the  square  inch),  wire  to  be  No.  28  Stubb's  wire  gauge,  and  be  caught 
on  a  No.  30  sieve  (900  meshes  to  the  square  inch),  wire  to  be  No.  31  Stubb's 
wire  gauge. 

50.  Making  briquettes.  —  The  briquettes  shall  be  of  the  shape  adopted  by 
the  American  Society  of  Civil  Engineers  as  a  standard. 

Neat  briquettes:  The  cement  shall  be  wet  with  16  to  23  per  cent  of  water,  by 
weight  (the  amount  being  just  sufficient  to  make  a  stiff  paste  when  thoroughly 
mixed),  mixing  and  kneading  rapidly  by  hand,  using  rubber  gloves  for  protec- 
tion. When  thoroughly  worked,  the  molds  shall  be  filled  at  once,  having  first 
been  wiped  on  the  inside  with  an  oily  cloth.  The  cement  shall  entirely  fill  the 
molds  and  be  moderately  tamped  and  worked,  so  as  to  exclude  all  air  bubbles, 
and  be  immediately  smoothed  off  with  a  mason's  trowel. 

Mortar  briquettes:  One  part,  by  weight,  of  cement  and  three  parts,  by 
weight,  of  the  sand  specified  in  paragraph  49  shall  be  thoroughly  mixed  while 
dry  and  then  wet  with  8  to  12  per  cent  of  water  and  mixed  and  molded  as  speci- 
fied for  neat  briquettes. 

While  drying  in  air  the  briquettes  shall  be  covered  with  damp  cloths.  After 
molding  the  briquettes  shall  be  kept  in  air  for  twenty-four  hours  and  then  in 
water,  at  a  temperature  of  not  less  than  60°  F.,  and,  if  possible,  not  above  70°  F. 

51.  Tensile  strength.  —  The  briquettes,  prepared  as  specified  in  paragraph 
50,  must  stand  a  tensile  stress  per  square  inch  before  breaking,  when  the  load 
is  applied  uniformly  at  the  rate  of  1,000  pounds  per  minute,  as  follows: 

Neat  briquettes:  Pounds. 

After  twenty-four  hours  in  air 200 

After  one  day  in  air  and  six  days  in  water 450 

After  one  day  in  air  and  twenty-seven  days  in  water 650 


84  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

The  seven-day  test  shall  show  an  increase  of  at  least  50  per  cent  in  strength 
over  the  one-day  test  and  the  twenty-eight-day  test  an  increase  of  at  least  5  per 
cent  in  strength  over  the  seven-day  test. 

Mortar  briquettes:  Pounds. 

After  one  day  in  air  and  six  days  in  water 150 

After  one  day  in  air  and  twenty-seven  days  in  water .   250 

The  twenty-eight-day  test  shall  show  an  increase  of  at  least  20  per  cent  in 
strength  over  the  seven-day  test. 

Five  briquettes  shall  be  broken  for  each  test  and  the  average  of  the  three 
highest  considered  as  the  strength  of  the  cement. 

SAND. 

52.  The  sand  for  all  concrete  and  mortar  shall  be  clean,  sharp,  coarse,  and 
free  from  clay,  loam,  or  foreign  matter.     After  being  shaken  in  water  it  shall 
show  not  over  5  per  cent  silt. 

BROKEN  STONE  AND  GRAVEL. 

53.  All  broken  stone  must  be  granite,  gneiss,  or  trap  of  acceptable  quality. 
Its  largest  dimensions  shall  be  not  more  than  2  inches  and  its  smallest  not  less 
than  one-fourth  inch. 

54.  Gravel  may  be  used  in  lieu  of  broken  stone  and  must  be  clean  sea- 
washed  silica  gravel  of  best  quality.     It  must  not  be  larger  than  2  inches  in  any 
dimension  and  none  of  it  shall  pass  through  a  screen  having  36  meshes  per 
square  inch. 

CONCRETE. 

55.  Proportions.  —  All  concrete,  unless  otherwise  specified,  shall  be  in  the 
proportion  of  one  part  Portland  cement,  three  parts  sand,  and  six  parts  broken 
stone  or  gravel.     Except  cement,  all  ingredients  of  mortar  and  concrete  shall 
be  measured  by  volume.     Cement  shall  be  measured  by  weight,  100  pounds  of 
dry  cement  being  considered  as  occupying  1  cubic  foot  of  space. 

56.  Mixing.  —  Mixing  may  be  either  by  hand  or  by  a  mechanical  mixer  of 
a  type  approved  by  the  officer  in  charge.     If  by  hand,  the  cement  and  sand 
shall  be  mixed  upon  close  platforms  until  of  an  even  color,  after  which  the 
water  shall  be  added  in  the  form  of  spray  until  the  mortar  is  of  a  proper  con- 
sistency.    The  mortar  shall  then  at  once  be  spread  uniformly  over  the  proper 
amount  of  broken  stone,  which  has  previously  been  wetted.     The  entire  mass 
shall  then  be  turned  over  not  less  than  three  times,  until  the  mass  is  thor- 
oughly incorporated,  and  the  ingredients  uniformly  distributed  throughout 
the  mixture.     If  a  mechanical  mixer  be  used,  the  mixing  plant  shall  be  so 
arranged  as  to  allow  of  accurately  measuring  the  quantities  of  the  ingredients 
specified.     Should  machines  be  used  which  do  not  have  proper  devices  for 
delivering  the  required  proportions  of  the  ingredients,  the  proper  amounts  of 
cement,  sand,  and  stone  required  for  a  batch  of  not  more  than  1  yard  shall  be 
measured  out  on  the  platform  and  roughly  mixed,  so  that  when  the  dry  mass 
is  conveyed  to  the  mixer  proper  amounts  of  each  of  the  ingredients  will  be 
taken  up  in  each  operation.     All  concrete  shall  be  mixed  in  the  presence  of  an 


SPECIAL  FORMS  OF  SPECIFICATIONS  85 

inspector,  and  the  contractor  shall  give  due  notice  to  the  officer  in  charge  when 
mixing  is  to  be  proceeded  with.  The  officer  in  charge  may  reject  any  concrete 
mixed  when  such  notice  has  not  been  given. 

57.  Depositing.  —  Before  any  concrete  is  deposited,  the  site  shall  be  cleared 
from  all  mud,  refuse,  or  material  objectionable  to  the  officer  in  charge.     The 
contractor  will  be  allowed  to  deposit  concrete  under  water  up  to  an  elevation 
of  1  foot  below  mean  low  water  by  use  of  a  tremie,  or  other  method  satisfactory 
to  the  officer  in  charge.     Substantial  forms  shall  be  used,  so  built  as  to  prevent 
currents  of  water  flowing  through  them,  and  care  shall  be  taken  to  keep  the 
surface  of  the  concrete  approximately  level.     No  concrete  above  an  elevation 
of  1  foot  below  mean  low  water  shall  be  deposited  under  water.     Water  shall 
be  excluded  from  the  forms  until  tbe  concrete  has  been  in  place  three  hours. 
Concrete  shall  be  deposited  in  homogeneous  layers,  not  exceeding  9  inches  in 
thickness,  and  shall  be  dumped  as  closely  as  possible  to  its  place,  using  an 
inclined  chute  and  a  minimum  rehandling  in  the  forms.     No  concrete  shall  be 
used  which  has  begun  to  set,  nor  shall  it  be  permitted,  except  in  continuous 
laying,  to  deposit  concrete  upon  that  which  has  been  in  place  less  than  twelve 
hours.     Layers  shall  be  stopped  against  vertical  plank  forms  and  properly 
stepped  off.     Wheeling  or  walking  over  the  concrete  will  not  be  allowed  after 
it  has  begun  to  set.     The  surface  of  each  layer  which  has  been  in  place  more 
than  twelve  hours  shall  be  thoroughly  moistened  and  covered  with  a  layer  of 
cement  grout  not  less  than  I  inch  thick  before  depositing  the  succeeding  layer 
upon  it. 

58.  Tamping.  —  The  concrete  shall  be  of  such  a  consistency  that  when 
mixed  as  specified  and  deposited  in  place  it  shall  form  a  quaking  mass,  and  only 
a  small  amount  of  tamping  shall  be  required  to  cause  the  water  to  flush  to  the 
surface.     As  soon  as  water  flushes  to  the  surface  tamping  shall  be  stopped. 
Steel  rods  shall  be  entirely  incased  in  concrete  securely  tamped  around  them 
without  being  displaced  from  position  or  alignment. 

59.  Finish.  —  The  front  and  top  of  the  wall  shall  be  faced  with  a  layer,  2 
inches  thick,  of  cement  mortar,  one  to  two.     This  facing  shall  be  deposited  in 
place  next  to  forms  at  the  same  time  as  the  body  concrete,  so  as  to  unite  with 
the  backing  and  form  a  monolithic  mass.     On  removal  of  the  forms  the  facing 
shall  show  a  dense  uniform  surface  free  from  pits,  blowholes,  bubbles,  or  other 
defects.     The  application  of  cement  mortar  to  the  face  in  the  form  of  a  plaster 
or  wash  will  not  be  permitted. 

60.  Nosing.  —  The  exposed  edge  of  the  wall  shall  be  finished  with  a  cast-iron 
nosing  as  shown  on  plans.     It  shall  be  made  of  tough  gray  foundry  iron  and 
shall  be  true  to  pattern,  free  from  blowholes  or  honeycomb.     Castings  shall  be 
cleaned  from  sand  and  fins  and  then  heavily  coated  by  dipping  in  300°  bath  of 
distilled  coal  tar  varnish  containing  5  per  cent  of  pure  boiled  linseed  oil. 

61.  Pipes  and  fittings.  —  The  contractor  shall  build  in  all  water  and  sewer 
pipes  ringbolts  or  other  devices  as  directed  by  the  officer  in  charge. 

FORMS. 

62.  All  concrete  shall  be  deposited  in  forms  of  a  substantial  character. 
Frames  for  holding  forms,  and  the  forms  themselves,  shall  be  of  sufficient  size 
and  strength  to  maintain  their  proper  position  while  the  concrete  is  deposited 


86  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

and  tamped.  If  the  parts  of  the  framework  for  holding  the  forms  in  position 
are  tied  together  with  wires  or  tie-rods  the  ties  shall  be  of  an  approved  design 
such  that  no  ironwork  is  left  exposed  on  completion  of  the  wall.  Forms  shall, 
in  general,  be  made  of  sound  2-inch  plank  surfaced  one  side  and  two  edges  laid 
up  with  close  joints.  Forms  for  front  surface  of  wall  shall  be  made  of  2-inch 
dressed  lumber  tongued  and  grooved. 

63.  Removal  of  forms.  —  After  the  work  is  completed  and  the  concrete  set 
at  least  fourteen  days  the  forms  may  be  removed,  except  those  on  the  face  of 
the  wall  below  mean  low  water,  which  shall  not  be  removed  for  thirty  days 
except  by  permission  of  the  officer  in  charge.     Planks  shall  be  cleaned  before 
using  a  second  time. 

PROPOSALS. 

64.  Certified  check  and  bond.  —  Each  proposal  must  be  accompanied  by  a 
certified  check,  payable  to  the  Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Yards  and  Docks,  for 
the  sum  of  $1,000,  as  a  guaranty  that  the  bidder  will  execute  the  required 
contract  within  ten  days  after  its  delivery  to  him  for  that  purpose,  and  give 
a  bond  (preferably  that  of  a  first-class  surety  company)  in  a  penal  sum  equal 
to  20  per  cent  of  the  contract  price,  conditioned  upon  the  faithful  performance 
of  the  contract.     This  bond  is  not  required  with  the  proposal,  but  a  guaranty 
bond  may  accompany  the  proposal,  if  preferred  by  the  bidder,  in  lieu  of  and 
of  the  same  amount  as  the  certified  check  specified  above.     Checks  of  unsuc- 
cessful bidders  will  be  returned  immediately  after  the  contract  is  awarded,  and 
of  the  successful  bidder  upon  the  execution  of  the  contract. 

65.  Form    of  proposals.  —  Proposals    and    all    exhibits,    alternate    plans, 
letters  of  explanation,  circulars,  and  all  other  papers  (except  the  certified 
check)  which  it  is  desired  to  have  considered  in  connection  therewith  must  be 
made  in  duplicate.     Proposals  shall  be  made  upon  the  prescribed  blanks 
furnished  bidders,  as  follows: 

Item  1.  Price  for  the  quay  wall  complete  in  accordance  with  the  plans  and 
specifications. 

Item  2.  Amount  to  be  added  to  price  named  under  item  1  if  Thacher,  Ran- 
some,  or  corrugated  bars  are  used  throughout  in  place  of  plain  bars. 

Item  3.  Amount  to  be  added  to  price  named  under  item  1  for  the  addition 
of  50  lineal  feet  of  the  21-foot  high  section  of  wall. 

Item  4.  Amount  to  be  deducted  from  the  price  named  under  item  1  for  the 
omission  of  50  lineal  feet  of  the  21-foot  high  section  of  wall. 

66.  Acceptance  and  rejection  of  proposals.  —  The  Government  reserves  the 
right  to  award  the  contract  upon  any  of  the  above  items,  to  accept  any  bid, 
to  waive  any  defects  and  informalities  in  the  proposals,  and  to  reject  any  or 
all  bids. 

67.  Bidder's  ability.  —  Before  he  is  awarded  the  contract  any  bidder  may 
be  required  to  show  that  he  has  the  necessary  facilities,  experience,  and  ability 
to  perform  the  work  in  a  satisfactory  manner. 

68.  Examination  of  site.  —  Intending  bidders  are  expected  to  examine  the 
site  of  the  proposed  quay  wall  and  inform  themselves  thoroughly  of  the 
actual  conditions  and  requirements  before  submitting  proposals. 


SPECIAL  FORMS  OF  SPECIFICATIONS  87 

69.  Proprietary  articles.  —  Where  proprietary  articles  are  mentioned  herein, 
bidders  may  base  their  proposals  upon  similar  articles  of  equal  value  and 
efficiency,  but  the  fact  that  they  have  done  so  must  be  stated  therein,  and 
in  all  cases  when  not  so  stated  such  articles  may  be  installed  only  with  the 
approval  of  the  officer  in  charge. 

70.  Amount    of   appropriation.  —  The    appropriation    now    available    is 
$51,000. 

71.  Information.  —  For  any  further  information  needed  by  intending  bid- 
ders, application  should  be  made  to  the  Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Yards  and 
Docks  or  to  the  Commandant  of  Puget  Sound  Navy  Yard.     Any  discrepancies 
or  omissions  noted  by  the  intending  bidders  in  plans  or  specification  should 
be  promptly  referred  to  the  Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Yards  and  Docks,  Navy 
Department,  Washington,  D.  C.,  for  correction  or  interpretation  before  the 
letting. 

NAVY  DEPARTMENT, 

Bureau  of  Yards  and  Docks,  March,  1905. 


CHAPTER  V. 

SPECIAL   FORMS    OF   CONTRACTS. 

THIS  chapter  takes  up  the  matter  of  contracts  in  a  general 
way,  and  more  particularly  " special"  contracts,  because  no  two 
" special"  contracts  are  alike. 

In  the  first  place,  in  drawing  up  a  special  contract  the  defini- 
tion of  a  contract  must  be  borne  in  mind,  namely:  "A  contract 
is  an  agreement  to  do,  or  not  to  do,  a  particular  thing."  The 
essential  elements  of  a  contract  were  taken  up  in  Chapter  II; 
these  elements  must  be  adhered  to  in  any  contract.  Some 
of  these  points  are  the  time  and  place;  the  parties;  the  subject- 
matter,  which  must  be  lawful;  the  agreement  must  be  mutual, 
that  is,  the  parties  must  understand  the  contract  in  the  same  way 
so  that  there  may  be  no  real  grounds  for  disagreement,  although 
the  signing  of  the  contract  makes  the  agreement  mutual.  In 
ordinary  bridge  and  building  work  there  are,  as  we  have  learned, 
regular  contracts  with  blank  spaces  that  have  only  to  be  filled 
out;  but  in  making  special  engineering  contracts  there  are  so 
many  important  minor  details  to  be  covered  that  only  very  gen- 
eral blanks  could  be  used,  so  it  is  best  to  write  out  the  entire 
document. 

The  drawing  up  of  a  special  engineering  contract  should  never 
be  turned  over  entirely  to  an  attorney.  Lawyers  very  seldom 
know  more  than  the  most  general  principles  of  engineering  and 
cannot  always  draw  up  such  a  contract  correctly.  In  drawing  a 
special  engineering  contract,  it  should  first  be  written  out  in  full, 
and  then  submitted  to  an  attorney  for  his  consideration  of  the 
legal  points  involved. 

In  special  engineering  contracts  a  great  deal  of  attention  must 
be  paid  to  the  minor  details,  much  more  so  than  in  an  ordinary 
contract.  Some  of  these  points  are  the  names  and  date;  then 
under  "Witnesseth,"  what  the  work  is  to  be;  the  amount  and 
times  of  payment;  the  date  of  completion,  etc. 

One  contract  which  was  drawn  up  some  time  ago,  covering  engi- 
neering work,  and  then  later  on  construction  work,  was  drawn 


SPECIAL  FORMS  OF   CONTRACTS  89 

up  in  paragraphs  for  the  purpose  of  clearness.  It  is  very  con- 
venient to  draw  the  contract  up  in  numbered  paragraphs,  for 
then  if  it  is  necessary  to  refer  to  anything  in  a  previous  para- 
graph it  is  possible  to  mention  the  number  of  the  paragraph  and 
refer  to  it  more  clearly. 

In  drawing  up  a  contract,  the  different  subjects  that  go  to 
make  up  the  paragraphs  should  first  be  set  down,  and  then  each 
item  should  be  written  up. 

Another  contract  recently  written  was  for  some  heavy  con- 
struction work.  The  first  paragraph  states  the  work  that  is 
to  be  done  and  the  amount  and  date  of  the  first  payment. 
Three  or  four  other  paragraphs,  also,  have  clauses  dealing 
with  the  payments.  The  second  paragraph  deals  with  the 
detailed  working  plans  and  the  amount  of  payment  for  that 
portion  of  the  work.  The  third  paragraph  gives  the  details  of 
the  construction  work  and  the  method  of  payment  for  it. 

Engineers  have  no  regular  scale  of  charges  such  as  architects 
have  for  paying  for  completion  of  plans;  but  do  not  undercharge. 
People  are  willing  to  pay  what  the  work  is  worth,  and  they  will 
not  have  the  respect  for  a  man  who  undercharges  for  his  work 
that  they  have  for  the  man  who  asks  what  the  work  is  worth. 
It  is  a  very  good  plan  to  try  to  adhere  to  the  architect's  scale  of 
charges,  namely:  1.5  percent  for  preliminary  plans,  2.5  per  cent 
for  detailed  plans  and  specifications,  and  5  per  cent  when  super- 
intendence is  included. 

The  fourth  paragraph  of  this  agreement  takes  up  the  construc- 
tion work,  after  the  detailed  plans  have  been  made;  also  the 
amount  and  method  of  payment.  The  method  of  payment  is 
taken  up  more  in  detail  in  the  fifth  paragraph,  which  is  on 
monthly  estimate,  according  to  the  amount  of  work  done. 

In  railroad  or  big  corporation  work,  the  railroad  or  corpora- 
tion engineer  makes  up  the  monthly  estimates;  but  in  doing 
work  for  private  parties  a  detailed  list  of  the  work  done  and 
the  amount  due  for  the  preceding  month,  for  each  part,  should 
be  made  and  handed  in  before  the  tenth  of  each  month,  so  it  can 
be  checked  up  and  verified  before  payment  is  due  on  the  fifteenth. 

The  sixth  paragraph  specifies  the  method  of  financing  the 
work.  Whether  it  is  to  be  done  by  means  of  selling  stock  or 
bonds,  or  by  whatever  means  the  work  is  to  be  financed,  it  must 
be  taken  up  in  the  contract. 


90  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

The  engineer  who  will  make  the  biggest  success  of  his  work 
is  the  one  who  knows  most  about  the  general  business  conditions 
of  the  country  and  who  can  finance  work.  In  the  great  North- 
west there  is  a  great  deal  of  work  under  contemplation  that  needs 
only  capital  to  make  it  go  through. 

The  eighth  paragraph  deals  with  the  time  of  the  completion 
of  the  work.  After  that  there  is  a  provision  for  extension  of 
time  on  account  of  delays  caused  by  strikes,  slowness  of  com- 
panies from  whom  machinery  is  ordered,  and  various  other  things. 
Such  a  clause  as  this  should  always  be  inserted  for  the  con- 
tractor's own  protection  against  unavoidable  delays. 

The  ninth  paragraph  specifies  the  time  in  which  the  various 
parts  of  the  work  to  be  done  precedent  to  the  construction  work 
shall  be  completed.  The  tenth  paragraph  provides  that  the 
company  shall  furnish  surveyors,  engineers,  and  superintend- 
ents to  look  after  the  work.  There  should  always  be  a  com- 
pany engineer  on  the  ground  to  look  after  the  work,  and 
this  should  always  be  specified  in  the  contract.  The  other 
paragraphs  have  to  do  with  possible  modifications  in  the  plans 
and  the  compensation  for  any  extra  work  that  may  have  to 
be  done. 

An  understanding  of  special  contracts  can  be  gained  only  by 
actual  practical  experience.  No  two  contracts  are  just  alike,  and 
no  two  pieces  of  work  require  the  same  treatment. 

The  insurance  business  is  carried  on  very  largely  for  the 
profit  that  can  be  gotten  out  of  it  in  various  ways.  But  contract- 
ing companies  cannot  get  along  without  insurance.  An  Em- 
ployer's Liability  policy  should  always  be  carried,  so  that  if  any 
of  the  employees  are  hurt  in  any  way  the  insurance  company 
will  have  to  defend  the  suit  instead  of  the  contractor  having  to 
do  it  himself.  When  a  man  is  hurt,  an  unscrupulous  doctor  will 
call  in  some  " shyster"  lawyer,  and  together  they  will  patch  up  a 
case;  and  "work"  the  company  for  which  the  man  was  working 
for  several  thousand  dollars  and  make  a  big  rake-off.  This  is  a 
very  common  case  of  blackmail  against  contracting  companies. 
But  if  a  case  like  this  is  turned  over  to  an  insurance  compan}', 
they  put  experienced  men  on  the  case,  and  usually  get  off  by 
paying  only  two  or  three  hundred  dollars.  Insurance  should  also 
be  carried  to  protect  the  company  against  injury  to  an  outsider. 
Spectators  are  in  great  danger  of  being  injured  about  some  kinds 


SPECIAL  FORMS  OF  CONTRACTS  91 

of  work,  and  there  are  also  insurance  companies  that  take 
care  of  liabilities  incurred  in  this  way. 

Some  contracting  companies  are  incorporated  in  one  state  and 
work  in  some  other  one,  and  then  any  damage  suit  brought 
against  the  company  is  fought  out  in  the  United  States  Court, 
which  cannot  be  bribed  or  bulldozed. 

Railroads  and  large  firms  do  not  always  carry  fire  insurance 
when  their  property  is  scattered  over  a  great  deal  of  territory, 
and  there  is  small  danger  of  very  serious  conflagrations  in  several 
places  at  the  same  time,  and  no  vital  risk,  such  as  there  would  be 
in  a  large  plant  or  factory.  But  small  companies  should  always 
insure  against  fire  if  they  have  much  combustible  property.  It 
would  cost  a  railroad  company  more  to  pay  premiums  on  their 
property  than  they  would  get  back  in  a  year  on  fire  losses. 

Engineers  should  be  posted  on  deeds,  leases,  and  also  corpora- 
tions. The  large  jobs  of  to-day  are  almost  entirely  handled  by 
corporations.  A  corporation  is  practically  an  individual,  and  the 
liability  of  stockholders  of  corporations  is  limited.  If  a  company 
is  incorporated  for  $1,000,000  in  Nevada,  but  the  stockholders 
only  subscribe  $100,000  of  it,  they  can  be  held  liable  for  only 
the  $100,000. 

Synopsis  of  Nevada,  Corporation  Law. 

There  is  no  franchise  tax  in  Nevada,  wherein  it  differs  from  the  laws  of 
New  Jersey,  Delaware,  and  West  Virginia. 

The  annual  franchise  tax  on  a  capitalization  of  $1,000,000  in 

West  Virginia  is $  410.00 

Delaware  is 500.00 

New  Jersey  is 1000.00 

Nevada  is Nothing 

Under  the  Constitution  and  under  the  Corporation  Law  in  Nevada  there 
is  no  personal  liability  for  corporate  debts. 

Annual  meetings  and  business  meetings  may  be  held  outside  of  the  State, 
and  one  or  more  offices  maintained  outside  of  the  State,  if  an  office  and 
resident  agent  is  maintained  within  the  State. 

The  State  Agent  and  Transfer  Syndicate  (Incorporated)  is  chartered  and 
authorized  to  act  as  such  agent. 

Corporate  purposes  are  unlimited  and  may  include  as  many  branches  of 
business  as  the  incorporators  may  set  forth  in  their  articles  of  incorporation. 

The  right  to  consolidate  incorporations,  or  to  merge  their  interests,  is  per- 
mitted, the  fee  being  simply  on  the  amount  of  gross  capital  above  that  of  the 
combined  corporations. 


92  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

The  capital  stock  may  be  made  absolutely  non-assessable,  or  may  be 
made  assessable  up  to  the  par  value  of  the  stock,  as  may  be  required  by 
the  necessities  of  the  corporation. 

Nevada  corporations  can  sue  or  remove  causes  to  the  Federal  Courts, 
which  privilege  is  denied  corporations  formed  in  Arizona  or  any  other  Terri- 
tory. 

By-Laws  and  Articles  may  be  amended  as  occasion  requires. 

The  duration  of  corporations  is  not  limited. 

The  fees  required  by  the  State  Agent  and  Transfer  Syndicate,  Inc.,  for 
maintaining  an  office  and  acting  as  resident  agent  for  transferring,  register- 
ing, and  countersigning  certificates  of  stock,  bonds,  etc.,  for  acting  as 
trustee,  etc.,  and  for  receiving  and  managing  any  sinking  funds,  etc.,  are 
as  follows: 

For  corporations  whose  capitalization  is 

$1,000,000  or  over .  .$100  per  annum 

500,000  or  over 50  per  annum 

All  others 25  per  annum 

This  includes  all  expenses  except  fees  required  by  County  and  State  laws 
to  wit: 

Fees  —  Secretary  of  State,  10  cents  for  each  $1,000  of  capital  stock;  but 
in  no  case  less  than  $10.00.     [See  Gen.  Corp.  Law,  Sec.  102.] 
Fees  for  County  Clerk: 

Filing $  .25 

Recording  per  folio .30 

Certificate  of  copy 1.00 

The  following  form  for  Articles  of  Incorporation  strictly  follows  the  Gen- 
eral Corporation  Law  of  Nevada. 

Articles  of  Incorporation 

OF   THE 


2111  dRetl  b£  £bese  Presents:  That  we,  the  undersigned,  have 
this  day  voluntarily  associated  ourselves  together  for  the  purpose  of  forming 
a  corporation,  under  and  by  virtue  of  the  GENERAL  CORPORATION  LAW  of  the 
State  of  Nevada ; 

AND  WE  HEREBY  CERTIFY:  1st.  That  the  name  of  said  corporation  is 
and  shall  be 

[The  name  of  the  corporation  must  end  either  with  the  word  "incorpo- 
rated" or  one  of  the  following  words,  used  as  a  substantive  or  noun,  "Asso- 
ciation," "Company,"  "Corporation,"  "Club,"  "Society,"  or  "Syndicate."] 

2d.  That  the  place  where  its  principal  office  is  located  is  on  Carson  street, 
at  Carson  City,  County  of  Ormsby,  State  of  Nevada,  and  the  resident  therein 
and  in  charge  thereof  is  the  State  Agent  and  Transfer  Syndicate,  Incorpo- 
rated, but  an  office  may  be  maintained  at  No street,  in  the 

City  of ,  County  of ,  State  of ,  or  at 

such  other  place  or  places  as  may  be  named  by  its  Board  of  Directors,  or  as 
may  be  fixed  by  the  by-laws  of  said  corporation. 


SPECIAL  FORMS  OF  CONTRACTS  93 

3d.  That  the  objects  and  purposes  for  which  this  corporation  is  formed 
are [Here  state  all  the  objects  of  the  cor- 
poration.] 

4th.  That  the  amount  of  the  capital  stock  of  said  corporation  shall  be 

$ ,  divided  into shares  of  the  par 

value  of $ each. 

[If  there  be  different  kinds  of  stock,  the  kinds  and  amounts  of  each  must 
be  stated.  See  Gen.  Corp.  Law,  Sec.  4,  Subdivision  4.] 

5th.  The  name  of  each  of  the  original  subscribers  to  the  capital  stock, 
and  the  amount  subscribed  by  each,  are  as  follows: 

Name.  No.  of  Shares.  Amount. 


6th.  That  the  period  of  the  existence  of  said  corporation  shall  be 
unlimited. 

7th.  That  the  affairs  and  business  of  said  corporation  shall  be  managed 
by  a  governing  board,  consisting  of  (not  less  than  three)  members,  who 
shall  be  styled  " Directors." 

8th.  That  the  capital  stock  of  the  corporation,  when  fully  paid  in,  shall 
be  subject  to  assessment. 

[If  it  be  desired  that  the  stock  be  non-assessable  insert  the  word  "not." 
The  Certificate  of  Articles  of  Incorporation  may  also  contain  any  provision 
which  the  incorporators  may  choose  to  insert  for  the  regulation  of  the 
business  and  for  the  conduct  of  the  affairs  of  the  corporation,  and  any  pro- 
visions creating,  defining,  limiting,  and  regulating  the  powers  of  the  cor- 
poration and  the  rights,  powers,  and  duties  of  the  directors,  the  stockholders 
or  any  classes  of  the  stockholders,  or  holders  of  the  bonds  or  other  obliga- 
tion of  the  corporation,  or  providing  for  the  governing  of  the  distribution  or 
division  of  the  profits  of  the  said  corporation,  Provided  such  provisions  are 
not  contrary  to  the  laws  of  this  State.] 

The  form  of  acknowledgment  required  by  the  Laws  of  the  State  of 
Nevada  should  be  used  in  all  cases  and  is  as  follows: 

STATE  OF  

COUNTY  OF  

On  this day  of in  the  year  one  thousand  nine 

hundred  and ,  before  me, ,  Notary  Public  in  and 

for  said  county,  personally  appeared ,  known  to  me  to  be  the 

person.  .  .  .described  in,  whose  name subscribed  to  and  who 

executed  the  within  instrument,  and  who  acknowledged  to  me  that.  .  .  .he.  . .  . 
executed  the  same  freely  and  voluntarily,  and  for  the  uses  and  purposes 
therein  mentioned. 

IN  WITNESS  WHEREOF,  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  and  affixed  my 

official  seal,  at  my  office,  in  the  County  of ,  the  day  and  year 

in  this  certificate  first  above  written. 


Notary  Public  in  and  for County, 


CHAPTER  VI. 

INSPECTION  OF   ENGINEERING   WORK. 

THE  inspection  of  engineering  work  is  a  field  in  which  many 
young  engineers  are  engaged,  at  least  temporarily;  it  is  ordinarily 
a  stepping  stone  to  some  other  position  in  engineering  work. 

While  the  matter  of  inspection  has  been  mentioned  before, 
and  will  be  mentioned  incidentally  at  other  times,  it  is  of  enough 
importance  to  warrant  taking  time  to  discuss  it  somewhat  at 
length. 

The  ordinary  inspector  is  one  who  has  for  a  basis  of  his 
knowledge  practical  experience  and  very  little  else,  so  that,  as 
a  rule,  inspectors  are  not  highly  paid  men  nor  men  who  have  any 
further  interest  in  their  work  besides  simply  earning  wages,  or 
getting  all  the  money  that  there  is  in  it.  It  would  be  much  better 
if  all  of  the  inspectors  on  engineering  work  were  educated  engi- 
neers, so  that  the  different  questions  arising  would  be  approached 
understandingly ;  in  fact,  it  is  almost  certain  that  the  time  will 
come  when  engineers  and  all  connected  with  engineering  work 
will  be  licensed  and  regulated  by  law,  as  is  the  case  with  lawyers 
and  doctors. 

Engineers  who  have  just  graduated  are  in  some  respects 
peculiarly  fitted  for  performing  the  duties  of  an  inspector,  and 
on  the  other  hand  they  are  in  many  respects  woefully  lacking. 
Their  studies  form  a  splendid  basis  on  which  to  build  up  a  practical 
knowledge  of  the  carrying  out  of  work,  but  in  the  beginning,  of 
course,  they  are  largely  dependent  upon  making  conclusions  from 
observations  at  the  time,  and  more  particularly  upon  the  advice 
of  the  engineer  in  charge  of  the  work,  who  also  has  charge  of 
the  inspectors.  The  young  engineer  should  not  assume  in 
beginning  work  of  this  kind  that  his  college  work  has  taught 
him  enough  to  warrant  his  making  decisions  offhand  without 
careful  consideration  and  careful  study. 

While  it  is  ordinarily  considered  that  the  engineer  is  the 
arbitrator  as  between  the  contractor  and  the  owners,  in  reality 
the  inspector  comes  more  nearly  filling  this  position  than  does  the 

94 


INSPECTION  OF  ENGINEERING  WORK  95 

engineer  himself,  as  upon  the  integrity  of  his  reports  as  to  the 
execution  and  progress  of  the  work  depends  the  opinion  which 
the  engineer  will  form  and  on  which  he  will  act  in  dealing  with 
the  contractor. 

As  a  logical  starting  out  work,  it  would  certainly  be  very 
much  better  for  the  young  engineer  to  start  in  contracting  work, 
or  at  least  to  engage  in  it  in  some  capacity  or  other  very  early 
in  practice,  so  as  to  get  the  point  of  view  of  the  contractor  firmly 
fixed  in  mind  and  be  better  able  to  do  justice  from  the  knowledge 
of  both  sides  of  the  case. 

In  a  recent  article  on  Specifications  it  has  been  stated  that 
an  engineer  should  never  write  a  specification  under  which  he 
would  be  unwilling  to  do  work  as  contractor  or  to  sign  up  a 
contract  to  do  the  work.  Unfortunately,  a  very  large  number, 
one  might  almost  safely  say  a  majority,  of  specifications  are 
written  so  that  the  engineer  would  himself  be  afraid  to  take  the 
contract  under  it  were  his  own  capital  hazarded.  An  inspector 
looking  after  work  that  is  being  carried  out  under  such  specifica- 
tion would  be  placed  in  a  very  delicate  position,  as  it  would  be 
possible  very  often  to  break  up  a  contractor  entirely  by  insisting 
on  the  " pound  of  flesh"  in  every  case,  instead  of  allowing  his  best 
judgment  to  interpret,  or,  as  Cooper  states  on  the  cover  of  his 
Specification:  "To  interpret  them  upon  the  broad  grounds  of 
professional  intelligence  and  common  sense." 

A  specification  should  never  be  written  by  an  engineer  where 
he  is  so  lacking  in  knowledge  of  a  subject  as  to  have  to  add  a 
clause  stating  that  in  any  event  the  work  and  material  shall  be 
of  the  very  best  of  their  respective  kinds,  or  that  the  work  must 
finally  be  done  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  engineer,  no  matter  what 
has  been  specified  previously. 

In  illustration  of  the  points  already  mentioned,  it  will  be  as 
well  to  take  up  the  inspection  of  different  classes  of  work  and 
go  over  the  steps  in  the  inspection  of  the  material  and  workman- 
ship. 

The  first  stage  in  the  inspection  of  a  steel  bridge  is  the  check- 
ing up  of  the  working  drawings,  assuming,  of  course,  that  the 
strain  sheet  has  been  checked  over  by  the  engineer  prior  to  the 
placing  of  the  contract.  These  working  drawings  must  be  run 
over  in  detail  to  make  sure  that  all  dimensions  are  correct  and 
all  sizes  of  material  have  been  correctly  stated,  and  that  all  de- 


96  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

tails  and  field  connections  are  properly  drawn  out.  It  certainly, 
however,  is  no  part  of  the  inspector's  duties,  and  he  would  cer- 
tainly be  exceeding  his  authority,  to  demand  a  change  in  the 
type  of  details,  provided  they  agree  with  the  specification  and 
are  sufficiently  strong;  yet  I  have  known  of  cases  where  inspec- 
tors have  required  practically  all  the  details  on  the  bridge  to  be 
changed  after  drawings  were  completed,  in  order  to  simply  satisfy 
hobbies  of  their  own. 

After  these  drawings  are  approved,  the  bridge  company  fur- 
nishes the  inspectors  with  copies  of  the  orders  for  material  from 
the  mills ;  each  heat  or  piece  as  it  comes  from  the  rolls  is  sampled 
and  tests  made  both  of  the  chemical  composition  and  of  the 
physical  properties.  Provided  these  are  up  to  or  exceed  the 
specifications,  the  material  should  be  accepted  and  shipped  to 
the  manufacturing  shops. 

To  follow  through  material  at  one  of  the  big  rolling  mills, 
where  there  is  a  certain  size  of  material  rolled  each  day,  often  re- 
quires weeks  or  months  of  diligent  attention  upon  the  part  of  the 
mill  inspector,  so  that  very  seldom,  except  on  very  large  jobs,  are 
special  inspectors  employed  for  any  particular  piece  of  work,  but 
the  work  is  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  firm,  who  will  have  an 
inspector  at  the  mill  in  question  looking  after  a  large  number 
of  orders  for  material  being  gotten  out  for  various  shops  or 
structures. 

This  chemical  and  physical  inspection  of  material  is  one  which 
is  almost  entirely  in  the  hands  of  engineers,  and  will  doubtless 
remain  so  on  account  of  the  purely  scientific  nature  of  the  work. 

When  the  material  arrives  at  the  bridge  shop,  it  is  first  care- 
fully straightened  by  passing  the  plates  through  straightening 
rolls,  and  the  bars  and  shapes  through  a  straightening  machine 
of  some  type  or  other.  The  inspector  must  see  that  this  is  care- 
fully done,  for  upon  this  depends  the  proper  distribution  of  the 
stresses  in  the  various  portions  of  a  built-up  member.  Next  the 
wooden  templets  are  clamped  on  the  iron  and  center  punch  marks 
made  where  each  hole  is  to  be  punched  in  the  material.  The  in- 
spector must  see  that  the  punches  and  dies  are  of  the  proper 
size  and  design,  so  that  ragged  and  cracked  holes  will  not  result. 
After  this,  the  various  separate  pieces  are  bolted  together  to 
form  built-up  members.  The  inspector  must  watch  to  see  that 
they  are  properly  put  together,  so  as  not  to  make  a  mistake  in 


INSPECTION  OF  ENGINEERING  WORK  97 

right  and  left  hand  members,  or  in  some  other  detail.  After  the 
member  has  been  assembled,  then  any  unfair  or  imperfectly 
matched  holes,  where  two  or  more  pieces  are  to  be  riveted 
together,  must  be  reamed  out  so  as  to  leave  a  true  hole  for 
entering  a  hot  rivet.  Most  first-class  shops  run  a  reamer  in 
every  hole,  so  as  to  true  it  up,  finding  that  it  pays  by  reducing  the 
cost  at  the  riveting  machine.  With  perfectly  true  holes,  several 
thousand  rivets  a  day  may  be  driven  by  a  modern  riveting 
machine,  and  if  the  holes  are  true,  the  rivets  properly  heated, 
and  the  air  pressure  kept  up  to  90  or  100  per  square  inch,  there 
will  be  little  probability  of  loose  rivets.  However,  after  the 
riveting  is  all  done,  each  rivet  should  be  tapped  with  a  hammer 
to  find  out  whether  it  is  loose  or  not.  An  inspector  can  easily 
go  to  extremes  in  this,  as  in  one  case  that  is  called  to  mind, 
where  the  inspector  abandoned  the  small  hammer  and  took  a  large 
sledge,  so  as  to  pound  the  rivets  and  loosen  them  if  it  was  pos- 
sible in  any  way.  There  is  no  use  in  being  so  particular  about 
riveting,  as  the  large  factor  of  safety  always  used  and  the  uncal- 
culated  friction  of  the  rivet  heads  would  prevent  any  trouble  from 
an  occasional  rivet  that  might  be  pounded  loose  with  a  sledge. 

After  this,  the  members  are  planed  off  in  rotary  planers,  the 
pin  holes  bored  at  the  drill  presses  and  then  sent  out  into  the 
yards  for  painting. 

Everything  should  be  carefully  inspected  by  the  inspector  be- 
fore painting  is  done,  as  the  application  of  paint  often  covers  up 
a  multitude  of  sins. 

When  the  member  has  been  thoroughly  inspected,  including 
careful  checking  of  finished  dimensions,  it  is  then  ready  for  load- 
ing on  the  cars  to  be  shipped  out  to  the  bridge  site. 

The  work  of  an  inspector  on  bridge  erection  is,  if  any  different, 
somewhat  more  difficult  than  the  shop  inspector's  duties.  As 
the  bridge  is  put  together,  it  is  necessary  to  watch  carefully  to 
see  that  everything  is  properly  packed  on  the  pins,  and  as  field 
riveting  and  painting  progresses,  see  that  this  is  properly  done. 

Sometimes  a  test  train  is  prescribed,  and  in  this  case  the 
inspector,  or  perhaps  the  engineer  and  inspector,  must  take  de- 
flection readings  with  an  engineer's  level  to  determine  whether 
or  not  the  bridge  has  too  much  deflection  under  the  loading. 

The  above  inspection  is  of  a  kind  that  can  be  quickly  learned  by 
thevyoung  engineer,  as  it  is  almost  wholly  scientific  or  academic. 


98  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

The  inspection  of  foundations,  however,  is  work  which  calls 
for  a  larger  measure  of  practical  experience,  and  in  which 
judgment  should  have  a  larger  play  than  purely  theoretical  con- 
siderations. 

The  first  thing  on  the  foundation  is  to  make  a  thorough  in- 
spection of  the  site,  which  can  very  often  be  done  by  the  study 
of  the  geological  formation  of  the  country,  supplemented  by  dig- 
ging some  test  pits.  But  for  foundations  in  a  river  it  will  be 
necessary  to  make  some  test  borings  and  get  samples  of  the  ma- 
terial through  which  the  drill  passes,  so  as  to  note  exactly  the 
character  of  the  strata  on  which  the  foundation  will  rest,  into 
which  it  will  be  sunk,  or  into  which  piling  will  be  driven  to  sup- 
port the  foundation. 

It  is  easier  to  make  a  mistake  on  the  character  of  the  bottom 
to  carry  foundation  than  on  almost  any  other  class  of  work,  for 
without  considerable  experience  the  drill  may  tell  a  false  story. 
On  the  great  Red  Rock  cantilever  bridge,  at  the  Needles,  in  Cali- 
fornia, an  experienced  engineer  made  the  borings  and  thought  he 
had  discovered  solid  rock  at  no  great  depth;  but  when  one  of  the 
pneumatic  caissons  was  sunk  down  to  the  hard  bottom  it  was 
found  to  be  nothing  but  a  large  bed  of  boulders,  so  that  the  light 
pneumatic  caisson  already  constructed  had  to  be  removed  and  a 
heavier  one  constructed  to  go  down  through  the  boulder  bed  to 
proper  foundation. 

When  the  pier  is  to  be  founded  on  a  pneumatic  or  dredged 
caisson,  the  material  entering  into  its  construction  must  be  care- 
fully inspected;  good,  sound  timber,  that  will  come  up  to  at 
least  ordinary  specifications,  must  be  used.  If  any  great  amount 
of  metal  is  to  be  utilized,  or  a  caisson  is  to  be  constructed 
entirely  of  metal,  then  the  metal  must  be  given  the  same  inspec- 
tion as  has  been  spoken  of  for  steel  bridges.  When  the  founda- 
tion is  to  be  started  with  piling,  the  piling  must  be  first  class, 
live  timber,  of  proper  size,  and  practically  straight.  A  very 
large  number  of  specifications  written  specify  the  taper  on  piling ; 
that  is,  a  size  for  the  small  and  large  ends  which  do  not  agree 
at  all  with  the  timber  to  be  used ;  therefore  it  is  impossible  in 
such  a  case  to  comply  with  the  requirements.  In  such  a  case 
as  this  the  inspector  would  certainly  either  have  to  override 
the  specifications  or  take  the  matter  up  with  his  superior  to 
have  it  modified. 


OF    THE  ^ 

UNIVERSITY    I 
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INSPECTION  OF  ENGINEERING  WORK  99 

In  some  specifications  on  recent  work  the  piling  was  simply 
specified  as  " first  class  piling";  but  when  it  was  delivered  and 
inspected  a  large  amount  of  it  was  rejected  because  it  was  second 
growth-  It  is  the  writer's  opinion  that  this  was  a  mere  techni- 
cality, as  the  samples,  by  the  parties,  from  first-growth  piles  and 
second-growth  piles,  showed  no  greater  range  in  density  than 
can  be  found  in  several  samples  of  first-growth  timber.  In  fact, 
the  foreman  on  the  work,  to  test  the  case,  cut  one  pile  in  two, 
and  the  small  end  was  accepted  as  first-growth  piling,  and  the 
large  end,  which  had  been  carefully  marked,  was  later  rejected 
because  it  was  second  growth.  Thus  it  would  be  well  to  beware 
of  " straining  at  gnats  and  swallowing  camels,"  as  almost  nine 
out  of  every  ten  inspectors  do. 

The  inspection  of  cement  used  in  concrete  work  should  be 
carried  out  carefully  by  taking  a  sample  from  one  barrel  in  every 
ten,  and  have  the  testing  carried  out  in  accordance  with  the 
specification  under  which  the  work  is  being  constructed,  or 
under  such  specification  as  may  be  agreed  upon  by  the  parties, 
when  making  the  contract,  to  govern  the  case.  It  is  not  neces- 
sary to  go  into  details  on  this. 

The  selection  of  the  proper  kind  of  broken  stone  is  one  which 
requires  considerable  judgment;  but  the  stone  should  always  be 
some  of  the  hard  kinds  of  trap  or  granitic  rocks,  as  all  of  the 
sandstones  and  most  of  the  limestones  are  too  soft  and  friable  for 
such  use,  although  limestone,  such  as  "blue  limestone,"  or  any 
approaching  marble  in  hardness,  would  make  first-class  concrete. 

The  matter  of  inspecting  sand  is  one  which  can  be  easily  car- 
ried out  on  the  ground  by  seeing  that  the  sand  is  reasonably 
clean  and  of  good-sized  sharp  grains.  A  very  fine  powdery  sand 
does  not  make  a  good  concrete,  although  a  good,  sharp  sand  with 
a  small  proportion  of  earthy  matter  or  clay  would  be  all  right. 
The  writer  believes,  however,  that  the  safest  way  is  to  get  as 
nearly  a  clean-sharp  sand  as  is  possible.  The  amount  of  earthy 
matter  in  sand  can  readily  be  tested  by  taking  say  half  a 
glassful  in  a  straight-sided  glass,  and  fill  up  the  glass  with  water, 
shake  it  up  thoroughly,  and  allow  it  to  settle.  In  this  way  you 
can  measure  very  closely  in  fractions  of  an  inch  the  percentage 
of  mud  or  earthy  matter  which  settles  out  of  it. 

As  regards  the  method  of  mixing  concrete  the  writer  is 
satisfied  that  the  modern  mechanical  mixers  give  the  most 


100  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

satisfactory  results.  Hand  work  should  never  be  used  unless  a 
mechanical  mixer  cannot  be  obtained.  In  case  of  hand  mix- 
ing, the  mixing  gang  must  be  carefully  trained  to  properly  turn 
over  the  ingredients  so  that  they  will  be  thoroughly  mixed. 
A  Smith  conical  mixer  gives  first-class  results,  but  the  new  Ran- 
som does  really  as  well  and  has  many  points  of  operation  in  its 
favor.  It  is  possible  to  load  it  and  discharge  the  concrete  with- 
out stopping  the  mixer  and  a  wheelbarrowful  can  be  discharged 
from  it  and  then  the  flow  shut  off  without  any  trouble  whatever. 

It  will  doubtless  be  found  upon  careful  reading  of  the  author- 
ities that  almost  every  one  at  the  present  day  prefers  what  is 
known  as  wet  concrete  to  that  formerly  used  and  known  as  dry 
concrete.  The  dry  concrete  is  only  wet  enough  to  tamp  in 
place,  whereas  the  wet  concrete  is  made  wet  enough  to  settle  to 
position  and  become  a  solid  mass  of  its  own  weight,  without 
tamping. 

The  inspection  of  the  stone  used  in  piers  must  be  based  al- 
most entirely  upon  judgment,  supplemented  to  a  certain  extent 
by  the  various  tests  which  are  ordinarily  prescribed  to  be  made, 
or  which  are  set  forth  in  the  specifications  covering  any  par- 
ticular piece  of  work. 

If  getting  up  a  specification  do  not  specify  "  first-class  stone" 
when  granite  is  meant.  If  granite  is  meant  say  so.  If  specifying 
"granite,"  do  not  refer  to  its  natural  bed,  as  this  is  a  clause 
which  would  refer  only  to  sedimentary  or  stratifying  rocks. 

A  recent  specification  called  for  the  "best  selected  local 
stone,"  and  specified  that  it  must  be  free  from  rot.  As  granite 
does  not  rot,  this  was  additional  proof  that  granite  was  not 
required. 

The  inspector  is  referred  to  the  " Inspector's  Pocket  Book" 
by  Austin  T.  Byrne.  While  quite  insufficient  to  be  called  a 
treatise,  it  is  about  the  best  thing  that  is  published  on  the  subject. 
By  supplementing  it  with  notebooks  of  his  own  the  inspector  will 
soon  have  a  large  enough  amount  of  data  together  to  give  him 
what  he  will  want  to  refer  to  in  any  particular  case  for  inspection 
or  when  drawing  up  specifications. 

Let  me  close  by  advising  the  beginner  not  to  consider  it  one  of 
the  duties  of  an  inspector  to  find  fault  and  make  trouble  for  the 
contractor,  but  to  get  first-class  work,  as  required  by  the  speci- 
fications and  as  interpreted  by  common  sense. 


INSPECTION  OF  ENGINEERING  WORK  101 

Standard  Specifications  for  Cement. 

AMERICAN  SOCIETY  FOR  TESTING  MATERIALS. 

GENERAL  OBSERVATIONS. 

1.  These  remarks  have  been  prepared  with  a  view  of  pointing  out  the 
pertinent  features  of  the  various  requirements  and  the  precautions  to  be 
observed  in  the  interpretation  of  the  results  of  the  tests. 

2.  The  Committee  would  suggest  that  the  acceptance  or  rejection  under 
these  specifications  be  based  on  tests  made  by  an  experienced  person  having 
the  proper  means  for  making  the  tests. 

SPECIFIC  GRAVITY. 

3.  Specific  gravity  is  useful  in  detecting  adulteration.     The   results  of 
tests  of  specific  gravity  are  not  necessarily  conclusive  as  an  indication  of 
the  quality  of  a  cement,  but  when  in  combination  with  the  results  of  other 
tests  may  afford  valuable  indications. 

FINENESS. 

4.  The  sieves  should  be  kept  thoroughly  dry. 

TIME  OF  SETTING. 

5.  Great  care  should  be  exercised  to  maintain  the  test  pieces  under  as 
uniform  conditions  as  possible.     A  sudden  change  or  wide  range  of  temper- 
ature in  the  room  in  which  the  tests  are  made,  a  very  dry  or  humid  atmos- 
phere, and  other  irregularities  vitally  affect  the  rate  of  setting. 

TENSILE  STRENGTH. 

6.  Each  consumer  must  fix  the  minimum  requirements  for  tensile  strength 
to  suit  his  own  conditions.     They  shall,  however,  be  within  the  limits  stated. 

CONSTANCY  OP  VOLUME. 

7.  The  tests  for  constancy  of  volume  are  divided  into  two  classes,  the 
first  normal,  the  second  accelerated.     The  latter  should  be  regarded  as  a 
precautionary  test  only,  and  not  infallible.     So  many  conditions  enter  into 
the  making  and  interpreting  of  it  that  it  should  be  used  with  extreme  care. 

8.  In  making  the  pats  the  greatest  care  should  be  exercised  to  avoid 
initial  strains  due  to  molding  or  to  too  rapid  drying-out  during  the  first 
twenty-four  hours.     The  pats  should  be  preserved  under  the  most  uniform 
conditions  possible,  and  rapid  changes  of  temperature  should  be  avoided. 

9.  The  failure  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  accelerated  tests  need  not 
be  sufficient  cause  for  rejection.     The  cement  may,  however,  be  held  for 
twenty-eight  days,  and  a  retest  made  at  the  end  of  that  period,  using  a  new 
sample.     Failure  to  meet  the   requirements  at  this  time  should  be  con- 
sidered sufficient  cause  for  rejection,  although  in  the  present  state  of  our 
knowledge  it  cannot  be  said  that  such  failure  necessarily  indicates  unsound- 
ness,  nor  can  the  cement  be  considered  entirely  satisfactory  simply  because  it 
passes  the  tests. 


102  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

SPECIFICATIONS. 

GENERAL  CONDITIONS. 

10.  All  cement  shall  be  inspected. 

11.  Cement  may  be  inspected  either  at  the  place  of  manufacture  or  on 
the  work. 

12.  In  order  to  allow  ample  time  for  inspecting  and  testing,  the  cement 
should  be  stored  in  a  suitable  weather-tight  building  having  the  floor  prop- 
erly blocked  or  raised  from  the  ground. 

13.  The  cement  shall  be  stored  in  such  a  manner  as  to  permit  easy  access 
for  proper  inspection  and  identification  of  each  shipment. 

14.  Every  facility  shall  be  provided  by  the  Contractor  and  a  period  of  at 
least  twelve  days  allowed  for  the  inspection  and  necessary  tests. 

15.  Cement  shall  be  delivered  in  suitable  packages  with  the  brand  and 
name  of  manufacturer  plainly  marked  thereon. 

16.  A  bag  of  cement  shall  contain  94  pounds  of  cement  net.     Each  barrel 
of  Portland  cement  shall  contain  4  bags,  and  each  barrel  of  natural  cement 
shall  contain  3  bags  of  the  above  net  weight. 

17.  Cement  failing  to  meet  the  seven-day   requirements  may  be  held 
awaiting  the  results  of  the  twenty-eight-day  tests  before  rejection. 

18.  All  tests  shall  be  made  in  accordance  with  the  methods  proposed  by 
the  Committee  on  Uniform  Tests  of  Cement  of  the  American  Society  of  Civil 
Engineers,  presented  to  the  Society  January  21,  1903,  amended  January  20, 
1904,  and  January  15,  1908,  with  all  subsequent  amendments  thereto. 

19.  The  acceptance  or  rejection  shall  be  based  on  the  following  require- 
ments: 

NATURAL  CEMENT. 

20.  Definition.     This    term    shall    be    applied    to    the    finely    pulverized 
product  resulting  from  the  calcination  of  an  argillaceous  limestone  at  a  tem- 
perature only  sufficient  to  drive  off  the  carbonic  acid  gas. 

FINENESS. 

21.  It  shall   leave  by  weight  a  residue  of  not  more  than   10  per  cent 
on  the  No.  100,  and  30  per  cent  on  the  No.  200  sieve. 

TIME  OF  SETTING. 

22.  It  shall  not  develop  initial  set  in  less  than  10  minutes,  and  shall  not 
develop  hard  set  in  less  than  30  minutes,  or  in  more  than  3  hours. 

TENSILE  STRENGTH. 

23.  The  minimum   requirements  for  tensile  strength  for  briquettes  one 
inch  square  in  cross  section  shall  be  within  the  following  limits,  and  shall 
show  no  retrogression  in  strength  within  the  periods  specified:  * 

*  For  example,  the  minimum  requirement  for  the  twenty-four-hour  neat  cement  test 
should  be  some  specified  value  within  the  limits  of  50  and  100  pounds,  and  so  on  for  each 
period  stated. 


INSPECTION   OF  ENGINEERING  WORK  103 

Age.  Neat  Cement.  Strength. 

24  hours  in  moist  air 50-100  Ibs. 

7  days  (1  day  in  moist  air,  6  days  in  water) 100-200  Ibs. 

28  days  (1  day  in  moist  air,  27  days  in  water) 200-300  Ibs. 

One  Part  Cement,  Three  Parts  Standard  Sand. 

7  days  (1  day  in  moist  air,  6  days  in  water) 25-  75  Ibs. 

28  days  (1  day  in  moist  air,  27  days  in  water) 75-150  ibs. 

NOTE.  —  If  the  minimum  strength  is  not  specified,  the  mean  of  the  above 
values  shall  be  taken  as  the  minimum  strength  required. 

CONSTANCY  OF  VOLUME. 

24.  Pats  of  neat  cement  about  three  inches  in  diameter,  one-half  inch 
thick  at  center,  tapering  to  a  thin  edge,  shall  be  kept  in  moist  air  for  a 
period  of  twenty-four  hours. 

(a)  A  pat  is  then  kept  in  air  at  normal  temperature. 

(6)  Another  is  kept  in  water  maintained  as  near  70°  F.  as  practicable. 

25.  These  pats  are  observed  at  intervals  for  at  least  28  days,  and,  to 
satisfactorily  pass  the  tests,  should  remain  firm  and  hard  and  show  no  signs 
of  distortion,  checking,  cracking,  or  disintegrating. 

PORTLAND  CEMENT. 

26.  Definition.    This  term  is  applied  to  the  finely  pulverized  product 
resulting  from  the  calcination  to  incipient  fusion  of  an  intimate  mixture  of 
properly  proportioned  argillaceous  and  calcareous  materials,  and  to  which 
no  addition  greater  than  3  per  cent  has  been  made  subsequent  to  calcination. 

SPECIFIC  GRAVITY. 

27.  The  specific  gravity  of  the  cement  ignited  at  a  low  red  heat  shall  not 
be  less  than  3.10,  and  the  cement  should  not  show  a  loss  on  ignition  of  more 
than  4  per  cent. 

FINENESS. 

28.  It  shall  leave  by  weight  a  residue  of  not  more  than  8  per  cent  on  the 
No.  100  and  not  more  than  25  per  cent  on  the  No.  200  sieve. 

TIME  OF  SETTING. 

29.  It  shall  not  develop  initial  set  in  less  than  30  minutes,  and  must 
develop  hard  set  in  not  less  than  one  hour,  nor  more  than  ten  hours. 

TENSILE  STRENGTH. 

30.  The  minimum  requirements  for  tensile  strength  for  briquettes  one 
inch  square  in  section  shall  be  within  the  following  limits,  and  shall  show  no 
retrogression  in  strength  within  the  periods  specified:  * 

*  For  example,  the  minimum  requirement  for  the  twenty-four-hour  neat  cement  test 
should  be  some  specified  value  within  the  limits  of  150  and  200  pounds,  and  so  on  for  each 
period  stated. 


104  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

Age.  Neat  Cement.  Strength. 

24  hours  in  moist  air 150-200  Ibs. 

7  days  (1  day  in  moist  air,  6  days  in  water) 450-550  Ibs. 

28  days  (1  day  in  moist  air,  27  days  in  water) 550-650  Ibs. 

One  Part  Cement,  Three  Parts  Standard  Sand. 

7  days  (1  day  in  moist  air,  6  days  in  water) 150-200  Ibs. 

28  days  (1  day  in  moist  air,  27  days  in  water) 200-300  Ibs. 

NOTE.  —  If  the  minimum  strength  is  not  specified,  the  mean  of  the  above 
values  shall  be  taken  as  the  minimum  strength  required. 

CONSTANCY  OF  VOLUME. 

31.  Pats  of  neat  cement  about  three  inches  in  diameter,  one-half  inch 
thick  at  the  center,  and  tapering  to  a  thin  edge,  shall  be  kept  in  moist  air 
for  a  period  of  twenty-four  hours. 

(a)  A  pat  is  then  kept  in  air  at  normal  temperature  and  observed  at 
intervals  for  at  least  28  days. 

(6)  Another  pat  is  kept  in  water  maintained  as  near  70°  F.  as  practicable, 
and  observed  at  intervals  for  at  least  28  days. 

(c)  A  third  pat  is  exposed  in  any  convenient  way  in  an  atmosphere  of 
steam,  above  boiling  water,  in  a  loosely  closed  vessel  for  five  hours. 

32.  These  pats,  to  satisfactorily  pass  the  requirements,  shall  remain  firm 
and  hard  and  show  no  signs  of  distortion,  checking,  cracking,  or  disinte- 
grating. 

SULPHURIC  ACID  AND  MAGNESIA. 

33.  The  cement  shall  not  contain  more  than  1.75  per  cent  of  anhydrous 
sulphuric  acid  (SO8),  nor  more  than  4  per  cent  of  magnesia  (MgO% 


INSPECTION    OF  ENGINEERING  WORK 


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CHAPTER  VII. 


ESTIMATING  MATERIALS  AND  THE  COSTS  OF  ENGINEERING 

STRUCTURES. 


THIS  chapter  may  be  considered  as  a  continuation  of  those 
on  "  Contracts  and  Specifications  "  and  not  as  a  new  subject,  for 
the  estimating  of  materials  and  costs  of  engineering  structures 
plays  a  very  important  part  in  an  engineering  contract.  The 
first  thing  necessary  is  to  have  the  proper  kind  of  forms  or  blanks 
on  which  to  draw  up  the  estimate.  A  great  many  engineers  who 
have  only  a  small  amount  of  estimating  to  do,  use  double-ruled 
ledger  paper  on  which  to  make  their  estimates,  as  there  are 
enough  rulings  for  ordinary  cases;  but  in  drawing  up  bridge 
estimates  and  estimates  of  other  large  structures  paper  is  used 
on  which  there  are  a  number  of  specially  ruled  columns,  in  which 
as  many  separate  classes  of  material  can  be  carried  out  as  are 
necessary.  There  should  be  separate  columns  for  all  the 
varieties  of  materials,  also  for  size,  weight,  length  and  total 
length.  On  bridge  estimates  a  space  is  also  left  at  the  top,  on 
which  to  draw  a  sketch  of  the  truss. 

Another  form  of  estimate  paper  is  used  in  drawing  up  cost 
estimates.  On  this  also  there  may  be  a  place  to  draw  a  diagram, 
places  to  set  down  the  various  items  of  cost  of  various  materials 
and  various  forms  of  the  same  material,  rates  and  amounts. 

The  first  material  we  will  consider  with  reference  to  drawing 
up  estimates  on  a  contract  is  timber.  Unless  there  is-  a  large 
amount  of  one  size  and  length  to  be  ordered,  it  is  impossible  to 
get  timber  cut  in  uneven  lengths.  That  is,  if  some  timber 
21  feet  long  is  wanted  it  would  be  necessary  to  order  22-foot 
timber,  because  the  mills  would  not  cut  it  21  feet  long  unless  a 
great  deal  was  needed  or  enough  to  cut  the  logs  in  the  woods  to 
special  length.  Below  are  some  items  showing  the  way  timber 
should  be  set  down  to  be  estimated : 

106 


ESTIMATING  MATERIALS  107 

One  form  is : 

7  6  X    8  —  22-ft.  ties 

or  preferably,    7  ties  6  X    8  —  22-ft. 

16  stringers  6  X  16  —  16-ft. 

36  stringers  7  X  16  —  16-ft. 

14  ties  6  X  8     -  10-ft. 

A  person  should  always  have  system  and  method  in  making 
up  an  estimate.  The  figures  in  columns  should  always  be  put 
under  each  other.  The  names  of  the  materials  should  not  run 
over  into  the  figures,  and  everything  should  be  kept  neat  and 
orderly,  otherwise  errors  and  mistakes  are  almost  sure  to  follow. 
In  taking  off  timber  from  a  drawing  use  a  red  pencil,  and  as 
each  separate  item  is  taken  off  be  sure  to  check  it  off  on  the 
drawing.  I  have  here  an  estimate  which  I  made  for  a  bridge  near 
Fort  Lawton.  In  it  I  have  started  at  one  end  of  the  bridge, 
taking  each  class  of  timber  and  running  right  through  the  trestle, 
and  then  going  back  and  picking  up  other  classes,  and  finally  the 
odds  and  ends  and  the  little  things  which  are  used  only  once 
or  twice. 

Bridge  estimating,  in  which  a  great  deal  of  the  same  kind 
of  material  of  the  same  size  and  shape  is  used,  is  comparatively 
simple,  but  the  estimating  of  materials  and  costs  of  steel  frames 
for  buildings  is  a  very  different  thing.  In  a  steel  building  there 
are  hardly  two  or  three  pieces  alike,  because  of  the  different 
loads  and  stresses  they  have  to  bear.  The  joists,  beams,  and 
girders  are  nearly  all  different,  and  each  separate  piece  has  to 
be  noted  and  accounted  for  in  the  estimate,  both  for  the  materials 
and  the  costs.  Estimating  steel  work  is  very  intricate  as  com- 
pared with  timber  work.  On  blanks  for  estimating  steel  there 
must  be  columns  for  the  weight  of  each  different  class,  for  the 
size,  shape,  length,  total  length,  and  weight  per  foot. 

The  price  of  steel  is  practically  the  same  for  all  classes  ex- 
cept above  15-inch  beams  and  above  6  by  6  angles.  The  mills, 
however,  at  times,  make  different  prices  on  different  classes  of 
material,  but  at  the  present  time  they  are  all  the  same  price. 
To  avoid  trouble  from  putting  all  the  different  classes  together, 
when  prices  are  different,  I  have  a  table  which  gives  the  propor- 
tions of  the  different  classes  of  materials  in  an  ordinary  bridge, 
so  that  an  average  price  could  be  arrived  at  without  setting 


108  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

down  the  different  classes  of  material  in  the  estimate.  In  a 
bridge  where  the  end  posts  weigh  6600  pounds  for  the  main 
pieces  the  details  can  be  taken  care  of  by  adding  40  per  cent  of 
6600  pounds.  It  is  the  same  with  nearly  all  the  members  of  a 
bridge,  the  details  being  added  in  by  similar  method.  In  the 
intermediate  posts  there  are  probably  60  per  cent  details. 
The  weight  of  the  posts  themselves  plus  the  weight  of  the  details 
gives  the  total  weight  of  the  posts.  The  tables  referred  to 
previously  give  the  per  cent  the  details  would  amount  to  for  each 
kind  of  member  in  an  ordinary  bridge. 

In  making  up  a  bridge  estimate,  recently,  when  in  a 
hurry,  there  was  allowed  25  per  cent  for  details  on  the  whole 
bridge,  and  time  was  not  taken  to  estimate  them  more  closely. 
Later  on  when  there  was  time  the  estimate  was  checked  over 
and  the  details  figured  up  for  each  member  separately,  and  it 
was  found  that  there  was  an  error  of  only  a  fraction  of  a  per 
cent,  so  that  in  a  pin  connected  bridge  it  is  generally  right  to 
count  on  about  25  per  cent  for  details. 

In  estimating  earth  work  the  problem  is  much  simpler,  as 
tables  and  formulas  are  used ;  but  always  when  large  quantities 
are  to  be  taken  out  allowance  should  be  made.  For  instance, 
if  a  retaining  wall  which  was  one-third  buried  in  the  earth  had 
to  be  put  in,  allowance  would  not  be  made  in  the  estimate  for 
taking  out  just  the  actual  amount  of  earth  which  the  wall  would 
replace,  but  a  great  deal  more.  It  is  usual  to  allow  50  per  cent 
excess  in  figuring  up  a  small  estimate  of  that  kind. 

In  dredging,  quantities  of  earth  are  figured  up  very  much  as 
they  are  in  ordinary  excavating  work.  But  in  this  also  consider- 
able excess  should  be  allowed  for.  In  one  government  job  on 
Puget  Sound  the  excavating  was  stated  as  about  50,000  cubic 
yards;  the  amount  actually  paid  for  was  47,000  cubic  yards;  while 
the  amount  actually  taken  out  was  about  80,000  cubic  yards. 
In  dredging  it  is  impossible  to  follow  a  grade  line  as  in  other 
kinds  of  excavating  work;  it  is  necessary  to  make  the  channel 
somewhat  deeper,  so  as  to  be  sure  that  the  channel  dredged  is 
deep  enough. 

In  estimating  on  concrete  work  a  great  deal  of  care  is  neces- 
sary, always,  to  allow  for  any  contingencies  that  may  arise.  Be 
sure  to  make  liberal  allowance  for  filling  in  excavation  not  really 
specified  but  necessary  in  the  job.  Also  allowance  should  be 


ESTIMATING  MATERIALS 


109 


made  for  extra  concrete  required  to  fill  in  rough  places.  Rough 
banks  used  as  forms  take  a  great  deal  more  concrete  than  plank 
forms,  and  excess  along  this  line  should  be  allowed  for. 

In  estimating  buildings  account  must  be  taken  of  all  the 
thousand  and  one  different  minor  items  which,  while  small,  have 
to  be  put  in  the  estimate.  To  do  this  according  to  an  engineer's 
ideas  would  be  a  very  lengthy  process.  But  a  building  contractor 
has  little  rules  which  he  follows  for  figuring  up  these  details, 
which  save  him  a  great  deal  of  work  and  time.  The  contractors 
estimate  many  things  at  so  much  per  foot,  per  square  foot,  or 
per  square,  and  save  a  great  deal  of  time  and  labor  in  this  way. 

An  engineer  would  usually  estimate  each  separate  item  and 
have  a  price  for  each  different  kind  of  material. 

ESTIMATING  THE  COST. 

Large  contracting  firms  have  daily  reports  coming  in  from 
their  contracts  showing  how  much  work  is  done  each  day  and 
how  much  material  is  received  or  used.  These  reports  are  to 
be  tabulated  later,  and  make  very  useful  tables  to  get  costs 
for  reference  in  bidding  on  new  work.  The  following  shows  the 
form  of  one  of  these  postal  card  reports : 

DAILY   REPORT  . 


Plant  
Repairs  Plant  

..No.  Hr  
..No.  Hr  

Unloading  No.  Hr  
Hauling  .  .                            No.  Hr. 

Excavating  

.    .No.  Hr.      .. 

Material  Received 

Pile  Driving 

.  .  No.  Hr. 

Concrete  Forms. 

.No.  Hr.      .. 

Concrete  
Piers  Msc  

.  ..No.  Hr  
.  ..No.  Hr  

No.  Men  Working  
No.  Teams  Working  

False  Work    

.     No.  Hr. 

Removing  Old  Work  . 
Approach  
Framing  Trusses  

.  ..No.  Hr  
..No.  Hr  
.  ..No.  Hr  

Work  Completed  
Working  on  . 

Erecting  

..No.  Hr.     .. 

Painting  

.  ..No.  Hr  

Foreman 

Tables  are  used  showing  the  shop  cost  of  different  kinds  of 
work  in  various  shops,  and  are  very  useful  in  estimating  costs. 
Costs  of  material  and  shop  work  are  greater  now  than  formerly, 
and  this  should  be  allowed  for  in  making  up  estimates.  At  the 


110  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

present  time  steel  is  practically  one  price,  $1.80  per  hundred 
pounds.  Of  course  there  are  higher  prices  for  I  beams  larger 
than  15  inches,  and '  for  angles  larger  than  6  by  6  inches. 
The  cost  of  raw  steel  has  been  as  low  as  90  cents  per  100  pounds 
in  late  years. 

Besides  this  there  are  various  items  to  be  reckoned  with  in 
estimating  the  cost  of  a  piece  of  work,  such  as  the  hauling  of  the 
materials  from  the  railroad  to  the  site,  the  cost  of  removal  of  the 
old  structure  or  material  present,  painting,  putting  in  foundations, 
excavating,  concrete,  and  the  like.  The  cost  of  a  steel  bridge 
would  be  represented  by  the  cost  of  material,  shop  cost,  freight, 
lumber  for  span,  haul,  erection,  and  painting. 

Making  estimates  on  excavating  work  is  largely  a  matter  of 
experience.  A  person  has  to  have  a  good  idea  of  how  many 
cubic  yards  of  different  kinds  of  earth  can  be  handled  by  the 
different  kinds  of  tools  or  appliances  per  day.  He  must  know 
how  much  it  costs  to  run  his  apparatus  per  day,  and  take  into 
consideration  all  the  minor  expenses  which  arise  from  time  to 
time.  A  person  should  not  figure  on  too  large  an  output  per 
day,  for  it  is  very  easy  to  overestimate  in  this  respect.  Acci- 
dents and  delays  are  very  liable  to  occur,  and  these  lower  the 
output  considerably.  A  set  of  figures  giving  the  approximate 
cost  of  running  a  steam  shovel  per  day  is  given  below.  If 
the  machine  is  owned  by  the  contractor  he  must  allow  something 
to  help  pay  for  the  depreciation  of  the  machine,  and  if  it  is  rented 
he  must  allow  for  the  rent. 

STEAM  SHOVEL.  —  COST  OF  OPERATION  PER  DAY. 

Rent  (?) $10.00 

Foreman 6.50 

Engineman 5.00 

Craneman 3. 50 

Fireman 2.50 

Four  pitmen 8.00 

Coal 4.00 

Oil  and  waste 2.00 

Repairs,  etc 4.00 

Total • .$45.50 

The  cost  of  dredging  is  in  a  way  quite  a  mystery.  An  ordi- 
nary dredger  costs  from  $50,000  to  $100,000,  so  that  only 
the  larger  contracting  firms  have  them.  The  cost  of  operating 


ESTIMATING  MATERIALS  111 

and  keeping  them  up  is  practically  kept  secret.  However,  it  all 
comes  down  to  how  much  it  costs  to  run  one  per  day,  including 
repairs,  renewals,  and  depreciation,  howmuch  it  costs  to  distribute 
the  earth  taken  out,  and  upon  dividing  this  total  by  the  output 
per  day  we  have  the  cost  per  unit.  With  a  thousand-foot 
pipe  line  — a  longer  one  cannot  be  used  to  advantage  for  gravel— 
500  to  600  cubic  yards  of  gravel  can  be  dredged  per  day;  800  to 
1200  cubic  yards  of  heavy  sand;  1200  to  3000  cubic  yards  of 
light  sand ;  and  as  high  as  20,000  cubic  yards  of  mud  can  be  taken 
out  in  a  day. 

COST  OF  CONCRETE  WORK. 

From  tables  it  is  found  that  for  1,  3,  and  6  concrete  the  cement 
will  run  to  1.04  barrels  per  cubic  yard.  Then  there  is  the  coarse 
gravel  or  broken  stone,  about  1  yard,  and  sand  about  0.36  cubic 
yard.  These  things  may  be  tabulated  like  this  for  an  ordinary 
wall: 

Cement J  .04  barrels  at  $2.50  per  barrel. 

Sand 0.40  cubic  yard  at  $1.00  per  cubic  yard. 

Gravel 1.00  cubic  yard  at  $1.25  per  cubic  yard. 

Labor  (average) $1.50  per  cubic  yard. 

Forms  (ordinary) $1.00  per  cubic  yard. 

Labor  is  to  be  estimated  from  the  labor  conditions  or  rate 
per  day  and  how  many  yards  can  be  placed  per  day.  All  these 
items  added  give  the  total  cost  of  concrete  per  cubic  yard. 

The  cost  of  steel  building  work  may  be  given  in  the  following 
items:  The  steel  itself,  shop  work,  freight,  hauling,  corrugated 
iron  covering  when  it  is  used,  erection,  and  other  items.  Corru- 
gated iron  costs  about  $1.50  per  square  for  putting  on,  rivet- 
ing, and  painting.  The  cost  of  the  ordinary  building  depends 
upon  the  cost  of  each  item  of  material  and  the  cost  of  the  labor. 

The  cost  of  laying  cast-iron  pipe  is  summed  up  from  the  cost 
of  the  lead  and  the  hemp  for  packing  joints,  cost  of  excavation 
per  lineal  foot,  cost  of  hauling,  of  planking  up  excavation,  of 
laying,  cost  of  superintendence,  and  cost  of  pipe  itself.  These 
things  are  given  quite  fully  in  Rider's  "  Little  Engineer,"  a 
small  handbook  on  hydraulic  work. 

The  cost  of  foundation  work  is  estimated  from  the  cost  of  ex- 
cavating, driving  piles,  placing  concrete  footings, and  building  the 
masonry.  Estimates  should  always  be  checked  over  very  care- 


112  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

fully,  both  materials  and  costs,  before  being  used.  A  person 
should  always  go  over  his  figures  very  carefully,  or  have  some 
one  check  them,  as  it  is  very  easy  to  make  errors  in  an  estimate ; 
when  once  they  are  used  in  bidding  and  the  bid  accepted,  it  is 
too  late  to  correct  the  error.  An  engineer  for  a  large  contracting 
company  in  the  East  once  made  an  estimate  for  a  bridge  in  a 
hurry.  He  estimated  for  only  half  the  bridge,  intending  to 
multiply  by  2,  but  he  forgot  to  do  this.  He  did  not  check 
his  figures;  handed  his  work  in,  broke  the  company  up  in  business, 
was  discharged  —  all  because  he  did  not  verify  his  work.  If 
possible,  a  person  would  do  well  to  get  an  adding  machine  to 
foot  up  estimates,  in  this  way  being  able  to  get  more  accurate 
results  where  otherwise  it  would  be  necessary  to  go  over  the 
figures  several  times  to  verify  the  work. 


ESTIMATING  MATERIALS 


113 


o 

COST  ESTIMATE  OF  BRIDGE.                            [Tg^    fl^ 

THE  WESTERN  BRIDGE  COMPANY.     Con'.  No'ZZ... 

„  18.  
Summary  for                                                  

Size,  

;::::::    :::::::::::::  ::::::::::::::!E::::: 

E:|::::|::::::::::::::  :::::::::=::  ::::::::±: 

::::±:   :::=::::::::::::::  :::|:::::^|:::: 

Items.                     Quantity.       @         Anr 

ountt       Total  Amount.               Remarks. 

Plates 

Angles 

Channels 

Beams 

Shopwork 

Cast  ngs 

Lumber--Pine 

Lumber-  Oak 

Handrail 

Freight 

Hauling 

Erection 

() 

Removing  Old  Work 

Painting  Coats 

Excavating 

Masonry 

Concrete 

Piles 

o 

Profit 

Bid 

COST   ESTIMATE   OF   STEEL   BRIDGE. 

Actual  size,  8|  inches  wide  by  14  inches  high. 


114 


ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 


.LOCATION  — 
WORK-  

o 

SPAN-  Steel 

(55 

@ 

Cast  Iron 

@ 

@ 

Freight  Iron 

@ 

@ 

Patterns 

@ 

@ 

Timber  —  Trusses 

@ 

••       —Floor 

@ 

@ 

Framing  Trusses 

@ 

@ 

Haul  -  Timber 

@ 

41     -  Iron 

@ 

@ 

Galvanized  Iron 

@ 

Handrail 

@ 

Paint 

@ 

o 

@ 

Erection 

@ 

@ 

Tools 

® 

@ 

Transportation,  Men 

@ 

@ 

Removal  Old  Work 

@ 

PIERS-  Metal 

i 

Freight 

3 

Erection 

@ 

Excavation 

i 

Concrete 

@ 

Piles 

@ 

^^ 

Pile  Driving 

@ 

O 

Timber 

@ 

Haul 

@ 

Masonry 

@ 

COST   ESTIMATE    OF   STEEL   OR   TIMBER   BRIDGE. 

Actual  size,  6  inches  wide  by  9$  inches  high. 


ESTIMATING  MATERIALS 


115 


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116 


ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 
ATLANTIC  CONSTRUCTION    COMPANY. 


MATERIAL .  RECEIVED. 

Dry  Dock, 

DAILY   REPORT 

For  24  hours  ending  6  P.M 19 

Piling  (description) 

Lumber 

Cement,  bbls 

Brick,  M : '. 

Sand,  cu.  yds 

Gravel,  cu.  yds 

Machinery 

Miscellaneous 

Signed 

Supt. 

ATLANTIC   CONSTRUCTION    COMPANY. 

SUPERINTENDENCE. 

Dry  Dock, 

DAILY   REPORT 

For  24  hours  ending  6  P.M 19 . 

No.  Men  Employed.  Hours.  Rate.  Amount. 

Superintendent 

Ass't  Superintendent. 

Book-keepers 

Time-keepers 

General  Foreman .... 

Engineers 

Ass't  Engineers 

Total  Labor  Expense $ 

Miscellaneous  Expense $ . 

$ 

Total  Expense,  $ . 


Remarks 


Signed 


Supt. 


ESTIMATING  MATERIALS 
ATLANTIC   CONSTRUCTION    COMPANY. 


117 


TIMBER   PLACED    IN    STRUCTURE. 

Dry  Dock, 

DAILY   REPORT 

For  24  hours  ending  6  P.M 

Timber  Placed  in  Structure,  feet  B.  M 

Remarks : 


19 


No. 


Men  Employed. 


Hours. 


Rate. 


Amount. 


Foremen 

Carpenters  .... 


Laborers 

Raftsmen 

Derrick  Hoists 

Remarks: 

Total  Earned Not  to  be  filled 

Total  Expense in  by  •(.$. 

Net  Superintendent. 

Signed 

Supt. 

ATLANTIC   CONSTRUCTION   COMPANY. 

PUMPING. 

Dry  Dock, 

DAILY  REPORT 

For  24  hours  ending  6  P.M 19 

Coal  used, Tons  at  $ ,  Cost  $ 

Supplies, $ 

Remarks : 

Men  Employed.  Hours.  Rate.  Amount. 

Engineers 

Engineers,  Assistant . . 

Firemen 

K 

Total  Earned Not  to  be  filled 

Total  Expense in  by 

Net  Superintendent      $ 

Remarks : 

Signed 

Supt. 


118 


ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 


ATLANTIC   CONSTRUCTION    COMPANY. 


PILE   DRIVING. 

Dry  Dock,    ..................................... 

DAILY  REPORT 

For  24  hours  ending  6  P.M  ............................................  19 

Character  of  Piles  Driven,  .............................................. 

No.  Length.  No.  Length. 

Total, 

Piles  Sawed  Off,  No.  .  . 
No.  Men  Employed.  Hours.  Rate.  Amount. 

Foremen  ......... 

Engineers  ....... 

Raftsmen  ........ 

Pile  Driver  Crew  . 

a  u 

Fuel  and  Supplies,  ...................................... 

..................................................  ..  * 

Total  Earned  •  •  |     Not  to  be  filled 

Total  Expense  ........................  in  by 

Superintendent. 


Signed 


Supt. 


ESTIMATING  MATERIALS 
ATLANTIC   CONSTRUCTION    COMPANY. 


119 


CONCRETE. 

Dry  Dock,    

DAILY  REPORT 

For  24  hours  ending  6  P.M 19 .. 

Concrete  Placed,  cubic  yards 

Remarks  : 

Hours.  Rate.  Amount. 

Foremen 

u 

Laborers  

Train  Crews  . . 
Derrick  Crews 
Men  Screening 
Men  Loading  . 

Remarks  : 

Total  Earned . .  Not  to  be  filled 

Total  Expense in  by 

Net  Superintendent. 

Signed 

Supt. 

ATLANTIC   CONSTRUCTION   COMPANY. 

BRICKWORK. 

Dry  Dock, 

DAILY  REPORT 

For  24  hours  ending  6  P.M 19. 

Brick  Placed,  M 

Remarks : 

Hours.  Rate.  Amount. 

Foremen  .  . 
Bricklayers 
Laborers . .  . 

Hoisters  . .  . 

Remarks  : 

Total  Earned  ....  Not  to  be  filled 

Total  Expense in  by  $ 

Net  Superintendent. 

Signed 

Supt. 


120  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

.  ATLANTIC   CONSTRUCTION    COMPANY. 


TRAINS   AND    DERRICKS. 


Dry  Dock, 


For  24  hours  ending  6  P.M.  . 


DAILY  REPORT 


.19 


Coal  Used,  Locomotives,  .  . . 

Supplies  for  Trains, 

Coal  Used,  Derricks, 

Supplies,  Derricks, 


.  Tons  at 
.  Tons  at 


No. 


Men  Employed. 


Hours. 


Rate. 


Amount. 


Trains. 

Engineers 

Firemen 

Brakemen  . 


Derricks. 
Engineers 


Total  Expense I 

Remarks: 

Signed 

Supt. 

ATLANTIC  CONSTRUCTION  COMPANY. 

COMMISSARY. 

Dry  Dock,    

DAILY  REPORT 

For  24  hours  ending  6  P.M 19 

No.  Men  Employed.  Hours.  Rate.  Amount. 

Cooks  .... 
i« 

Dishwashers 
Waiters 

Number  of  Meals  Served, at $ 

Number  of  Lodgings, at $ 

Total  Earnings,  $ 

Labor  Expense $ 

Remarks : 

Signed 

Supt. 


ESTIMATING  MATERIALS 


121 


DAILY  DREDGE  REPORT 


Dredge- 


For  24  Hours  ending  7  A.M._ 


-J90— 


NO. 

EMPLOYMENT 

HOURS 

Cspfatn 

Engineers 

Tj^icrnien 

MV^c 

Pfr&tten 

Oiler  i 

r>rrk  HxnJ* 

Watermen 

Le'beemen 

Blacksmith  find  Helper 

Carpenter 

rnnk 

Totvhnfi  ffnen 

C.nal  Pasw; 

Oil  Tender 

Pipe  Watchers 

Character  of  Material 

Length  of  Pipe  Line 

Height  of  ^Discharge 

Number  Landpipes 

Number  Pontoon  Pipes 

Rubber  Connections  in  Use.  No. 


Number  of  Feet  Mcfbed  Fotfy'ard- 

Aberage  Width  of  Cut 

Aberage  Depth  of  Cut 


Number  of  Yards  Excavated- 


Time  and  Cause  F.*rh  T)cf^y 

Signed, 


-Captain 


Actual  size,  4J  inches  wide  by  11|  inches  high. 


122 


ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 


WEEKLY  DREDGE  REPORT 

Dredge--            -  '                   _- 

At.  .                                                       Week  Ei 

iding 

DAY 

DATE 

LENGTH 
PIPE 

TONS 
FUEL 

HOURS 
RUN 

YARDAGE 

Sunday 

Monday 

Tuesday 

Wednesday 

Thursday 

Friday 

Saturday 

TOTAL 

AVERAGE 

cRemarks  _   _ 



- 

Principal  cause  t 

ro$f  time 

... 

Sign 

td 

Br  .                           — 

Actual  size,  6  inches  wide  by  9£  inches  high. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

BIDDING  ON  ENGINEERING  WORK. 

IN  the  last  chapter  the  making  of  bids  from  the  standpoint 
of  making  estimates  on  materials  used,  labor,  cost  of  erection, 
and  all  other  cost  items,  was  discussed.  After  bids  are  made 
up  they  are  turned  in  to  some  person,  official,  or  corporation 
taking  the  bids,  and  there  are  various  forms  in  which  bids  are 
turned  in.  In  government  or  county  work  the  form  is  pre- 
scribed by  law,  and  this  form  must  be  followed.  The  form  of 
advertising  for  bids  used  by  the  Engineer  Corps  of  the  Army  is 
one  of  the  shortest  and  does  not  go  into  the  details  of  the  work, 
but  just  states  the  plain  facts.  The  Navy  Department  usually 
goes  more  into  the  details  of  the  work,  giving  a  short  description 
of  what  the  work  is;  also  in  municipal  work  and  county  work 
this  is  done.  In  government  work  let  by  the  War  Department, 
however,  the  work  is  not  described  in  the  advertisements.  A 
collection  of  these  advertisements  is  valuable  for  reference,  as 
they  will  offer  many  valuable  suggestions  as  to  the  manner  of 
writing  out  advertisements.  In  the  case  of  municipal  and  county 
work  it  is  usually  stated  in  the  advertisement  how  bids  are  to 
be  addressed  and  delivered,  and  the  amount  of  guaranty  bond 
or  certified  check  that  must  be  given.  In  advertising  for 
army  bids,  instructions  to  bidders  are  given  quite  fully  in  the 
specifications.  In  municipal  and  county  work  the  advertise- 
ments and  the  instructions  to  bidders  are  often  sent  out 
separately. 

In  the  matter  of  certified  checks  to  accompany  bids  on  pri- 
vate or  corporation  work,  the  parties  sending  out  the  advertise- 
ments are  free  to  ask  for  any  amount  that  they  see  fit.  When 
they  advertise  publicly,  and  the  bidding  is  open  to  all  comers, 
they  usually  make  the  amount  of  the  check  high  enough  to  shut 
out  bidders  of  little  standing.  This  is  also  done  sometimes  in 
municipal  and  county  work  in  order  to  prevent  some  bidders 
from  getting  the  work  and  to  give  it  to  some  particular  con- 

123 


124  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

tractor  who  otherwise  would  not  get  it.  For  instance,  in  some 
cases  checks  of  $25,000  have  been  asked  for  when  the  total 
price  of  the  work  was  only  about  $100,000.  This  is  excessive, 
and  there  are  not  always  many  bidders  who  would  care  to  put 
up  such  a  check  as  a  guaranty  to  take  the  contract  if  the  work 
was  awarded  them.  In  the  state  of  Washington  5  per  cent  of 
the  total  cost  of  the  work  is  the  limit  put  upon  the  size  of  a 
certified  check  or  bidding  bond.  On  the  Mt.  Rainier  War  De- 
partment road  contract  a  sum  of  $500  was  required,  not  in  the 
shape  of  a  certified  check  but  as  a  guaranty  bond.  A  certified 
check  could  probably  be  given  and  comply  with  the  law. 

When  an  advertisement  has  been  gone  over  very  carefully, 
so  that  one  knows  just  exactly  what  he  is  bidding  on,  the  bids 
are  made  out  in  compliance  with  the  advertisement.  In  Govern- 
ment Army  work  the  form  of  the  proposal  is  similar  to  that 
shown  in  the  Olympia  dredging  specifications  and  the  Mt.  Rainier 
road  work,  and  the  War  Department  form  is  generally  modeled  on 
the  same  plan,  no  matter  what  the  class  of  work.  The  proposal 
always  starts  out  in  a  formal  way,  followed  by  the  figures  for 
the  various  items  of  the  bid,  a  formal  closing  paragraph,  and  the 
legal  signature  of  the  bidder.  If  the  blanks  are  not  properly 
filled  out,  the  official  to  whom  the  bid  is  being  made  may 
throw  out  the  bid  if  he  cares  to  do  so.  For 'county  work  the  form 
of  proposal  is  not  generally  specified,  but  the  form  is  usually  the 
same  for  bridge  work  all  over  the  United  States,  and  a  copy  of 
such  a  form  is  attached  hereto.  In  most  blank  proposals  there  is 
a  clause  about  strikes,  accidents,  and  other  delays  beyond  the  con- 
trol of  the  bidder.  If  this  clause  is  not  already  in  the  blank  con- 
tract, it  should  be  put  in  before  signing  a  contract,  since  a 
person  or  corporation  cannot  be  held  in  the  law  for  what  is  not 
down  in  writing  in  the  contract,  although  it  was  in  the  proposal, 
unless  the  proposal  is  referred  to  in  the  contract  and  made  a  part 
thereof.  On  a  contract  with  some  parties  who  started  their  work 
and  later  wanted  to  abandon  it  without  recompensing  the 
contractor,  it  was  agreed  to  stop  work  if  they  would  trade 
another  contract  they  had  to  let  and  pay  a  certain  sum  for  the 
profit  on  the  unfinished  work.  They  thought  there  was  a  clause 
in  the  contract  stating  that  they  had  a  right  to  quit  at  any 
time  they  pleased  without  settling  for  profits,  and  they  threat- 
ened to  take  the  matter  to  court.  But  on  examining  their  copy 


BIDDING  ON  ENGINEERING  WORK.  125 

of  the  contract  they  found  that  there  was  no  such  clause  and 
that  they  were  in  the  wrong.  They  then  said  that  they  had  not 
read  their  contract  before  signing  it.  Even  if  they  had  not, 
that  would  have  been  no  legal  excuse.  A  contract  should  never 
be  signed  until  it  has  been  read  and  studied  carefully  and 
thoroughly  understood. 

The  general  forms  of  proposals  can  be  found  from  the  various 
forms  attached  to  the  specifications.  The  blank  forms  used  by 
the  city  of  Seattle  are  very  different  from  those  in  use  in  the 
other  cases  we  have  discussed,  also  different  from  those  used  by 
most  corporations  or  private  firms.  They  all  have  spaces  in 
which  to  write  out  in  words,  as  well  as  in  figures,  the  amounts  bid 
for  various  things  or  parts  of  the  work.  This  is  very  essential, 
and  should  be  done  in  all  proposals  or  contracts  whether  there 
is  a  special  place  for  it  or  not.  Bidders  often  neglect  to  do  this, 
and  it  sometimes  leads  to  serious  errors.  In  bidding  on  some 
cement  paving  work  in  this  city  recently  a  certain  contractor 
made  a  mistake  in  the  column  in  which  he  put  down  the  figures 
and  bid  70  cents  instead  of  $70.  He  did  not  write  out  the 
amount  in  words.  The  proposal  was  signed  in  that  shape,  so 
he  had  to  take  the  contract  and  lose  about  $500  by  his  error. 
If  he  had  refused  to  go  ahead  with  the  work,  he  would  have 
forfeited  his  guaranty  check  for  $180,  and  would  not  have 
been  allowed  to  bid  on  city  work  again  for  two  years;  so  he 
decided  to  go  ahead  and  stand  the  loss.  Amounts  of  money 
should  always  be  written  out  in  words  as  well  as  put  down  in 
figures.  For  small  contracts,  where  no  special  forms  for  proposal 
are  specified,  something  similar  to  the  following  may  usually  be 
used. 


126  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

PROPOSAL. 

19.. 

To 

GENTLEMEN:    We  hereby  propose  to  furnish  all  the  material  and  do  all 

the  work  necessary  to  construct,  erect,  and  complete  ready  for 

the 

for 

in  accordance  with  the  plans  and  specifications 

for  the  following  price,  viz.: 


And  we  hereby  propose,  if  the  above  proposal  is  accepted,  to  enter  into 
contract  to  faithfully  perform  the  work  above  mentioned.  All  agreements 
subject  to  strikes,  floods,  or  any  other  cause  beyond  our  control. 

Yours  faithfully, 

NATIONAL  CONTRACT  CO. 


Agent 

The  matter  of  putting  in  bids  and  winning  out  is  largely  one 
of  experience  and  knack.  A  man  has  to  have  a  natural  idea 
about  these  things  to  make  sure  of  getting  a  reasonable  amount 
of  work  to  do  in  this  age  of  competition.  Never  make  a  bid  in 
round  numbers,  but  always  make  it  an  uneven  amount.  For  in- 
stance: If  some  excavation  work  came  to  45  cents  per  cubic 
yard,  it  would  be  natural  that  some  one  else  might  arrive  at  the 
same  figures  and  put  it  down  to  44  cents  a  yard,  just  to  get 
below  45  cents.  The  other  fellow  will  probably  think  about  it  in 
just  the  same  way,  and  as  he  will  likely  cut  his  figures  to  44  cents 
or  even  lower,  it  would  be  wise  to  cut  to  say  43T805o  cents  a  yard, 
provided  of  course  that  there  is  still  a  profit.  I  know  of  a  several 
hundred  thousand  dollar  contract  which  was  lost  by  one  bidder 
because  another  bidder  cut  his  price  from  15  J  cents  to  15^ 
cents.  Do  not  bid  in  round  figures,  but  always  make  it  just  a 
little  below  and  in  uneven  figures. 


BIDDING  ON  ENGINEERING  WORK  127 

Quite  often  advertisements  for  bids  will  have  restrictions  in 
them  as  to  who  the  bidder  may  be.  This  is  generally  a  limit  with 
reference  to  the  amount  of  experience  required.  In  a  great  many 
cases  if  work  was  let  out  to  inexperienced  firms,  very  poor  work 
would  be  done,  and  so  there  is  very  often  a  clause  in  the  advertise- 
ment stating  the  number  of  years'  experience  required  of  a  bidder 
in  a  particular  kind  of  work.  Exclusion  clauses  are  often  put  in 
to  shut  out  certain  bidders  and  contractors  who  have  not  com- 
pleted contracts  on  time  for  pieces  of  work  for  the  same  adver- 
tiser. Also  if  it  is  known  that  in  any  way  a  man  has  played 
crooked  with  his  former  employer,  an  exclusion  clause  will  often 
be  put  in,  so  worded  as  to  exclude  him  from  the  right  to  bid. 
In  case  of  failure  to  accept  work  for  which  they  are  low  bidders, 
contractors  on  Seattle  city  work  are  not  allowed  to  bid  again  for 
two  years. 

In  comparing  unit  bids  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  have 
some  standard  quantities  stated  as  the  basis  on  which  to  compare 
them.  The  quantities  to  be  used  as  a  basis  of  comparison  are 
usually  stated  more  or  less  completely  in  the  advertisement  or 
specifications.  For  justice  in  deciding  between  various  bids  on 
a  unit  basis  and  comparing  them,  one  should  insist  before  bidding 
that  the  quantities  of  various  kinds  of  materials  should  be  given. 
Then  one  can  be  sure  when  one  bidder  really  is  below  another. 
Sometimes  one  bidder  will  be  very  low  on  some  items  and  ex- 
pect to  make  it  up  on  some  item  where  his  bid  is  high,  when  he 
knows  a  larger  quantity  will  be  used  than  has  been  stated.  Ac- 
count should  be  taken  of  all  these  things,  and  if  a  bidder  goes 
very  low  on  one  special  thing  one  should  examine  the  bids  very 
carefully  to  see  if  he  does  not  expect  to  make  it  up  on  some  other 
items. 

Sometimes  government  officers  will  ask  for  alternate  bids  in 
order  that  they  may  know  the  cost  of  doing  the  work  in  various 
ways.  Very  often  a  bid  will  be  counted  as  irregular  and  not  con- 
sidered at  all  if  the  proposal  is  not  filled  out  in  just  the  specified 
manner.  In  bidding  on  a  very  heavy  sea  wall  to  be  erected  at 
the  navy  yard,  I  once  handed  in  a  bid  for  a  concrete-steel  wall 
as  well  as  for  the  ordinary  concrete  retaining  wall.  Although 
this  was  not  awarded  on  the  concrete-steel  wall,  the  idea  was 
adopted  at  another  time  and  that  form  of  construction  used. 

In  the  matter  of  rejecting  bids  on  work,  the  advertisement  or 


128  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

specifications  usually  provide  that  parties  receiving  bids  are  at 
liberty  to  reject  any  or  all  bids  if  they  care  to  do  so.  This  pro- 
viso is  put  in  for  the  reason  that  all  the  bids  may  be  too  high, 
and  even  if  some  of  them  are  low  enough  the  parties  may  not 
care  to  accept  the  lowest  bids  on  account  of  the  standing  of  the 
bidder,  his  resources,  plant,  or  some  other  good  reason.  A  low 
bid  may  be  rejected  on  account  of  the  irresponsibility  or  the  in- 
ability of  the  low  bidder  to  do  the  work,  and  a  higher  bid  may 
be  accepted.  In  this  state  the  law  specifies  that  the  lowest  and 
best  bid  is  to  be  accepted ;  but  it  would  usually  be  rather  hard 
to  show  any  reason  why  the  lowest  bid  would  not  be  the  best. 

In  the  case  of  bidding  on  private  work,  the  advertisements  and 
proposals  usually  state  at  what  hour  the  bids  will  be  accepted 
and  before  that  hour  only.  There  is  a  great  chance  for  unfair 
dealing  in  doing  business  in  this  way,  for  the  bids  may  all  be  in 
and  the  hour  past  and  some  friend  of  the  man  running  the 
affair  come  along  and  want  to  hand  in  a  bid,  and  even  though  it  is 
too  late  according  to  the  advertisements,  the  bid  will  be  accepted. 
There  is  no  law  to  govern  this  case,  and  private  individuals, 
companies,  and  corporations  can  do  as  they  please.  I  have  not 
touched  all  the  phases  of  this  subject,  because  much  of  it  does 
not  come  under  the  engineer's  supervision. 

FORMS  FOR  ADVERTISEMENTS. 
Advertisement  for  Government  Contract. 

DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR,  United  States  Reclamation  Ser- 
vice, Washington,  D.C.,  May  23,  1908.  Sealed  proposals  will  be  received  at 
the  office  of  the  United  States  Reclamation  Service  at  Orland,  California,  until 
2  o'clock  P.M.,  August  27,  1908,  for  the  construction  of  East  Park  Dam,  Spill- 
way and  Dikes,  located  about  12  miles  northwest  from  Sites,  Colusa  County, 
California,  and  involving  the  placing  of  about  13,500  cubic  yards  of  concrete 
and  the  excavation  of  about  8500  cubic  yards  of  material.  For  further  par- 
ticulars address  the  United  States  Reclamation  Service,  Washington,  D.  C., 
307  Tilford  Building,  Portland,  Oregon,  or  Orland,  California.  JAMES 
RUDOLPH  GARFIELD,  Secretary. 


%     BIDDING  ON  ENGINEERING  WORK  129 

Advertisement  for  State  Canal. 
NOTICE   TO   CONTRACTORS. 

STATE  OF  NEW  YORK, 
OFFICE  OF  SUPERINTENDENT  OF  PUBLIC  WORKS. 

ALBANY,  July  14,  1908. 

Sealed  proposals  will  be  received  by  the  undersigned  at  his  office  in  the 
Capitol  in  Albany,  N.Y.,  until  twelve  o'clock  noon  of  Tuesday,  August  11, 
1908,  at  which  place  and  hour  they  will  be  publicly  opened  and  read,  for 
improving  the  New  York  State  Canals,  pursuant  to  the  provisions  of  Chapter 
147  of  the  Laws  of  1903,  and  of  the  amendments  thereto,  as  follows: 


CONTRACT  NO.   31. 
ERIE  CANAL.  SECTION  4. 

For  improving  the  Erie  Canal  at  Little  Falls,  and  modifying  Dam  and  con- 
structing Guard  Gates  at  Rocky  Rift.  Length,  1.01  miles.  Sheets  1  to  74, 
inclusive. 

Plans  may  be  seen  and  detailed  specifications,  engineer's  estimate  of  quan- 
tities, proposal  blanks,  form  of  contract  and  bonds  required  and  other  informa- 
tion for  proposers  may  be  had  at  the  office  of  the  Superintendent  of  Public 
Works  at  Albany,  N.Y. ;  at  the  office  of  the  Assistant  Superintendent  of 
Public  Works  for  the  Middle  Division  at  Syracuse,  N.Y.;  at  the  office  of  the 
Assistant  Superintendent  of  Public  Works  for  the  Western  Division  at  Roches- 
ter, N.Y.;  and  at  the  canal  office,  Spaulding's  Exchange,  Buffalo,  N.Y. ; 
Copies  of  detailed  plans  or  drawings  may  be  obtained  from  the  State  Engi- 
neer and  Surveyor  at  Albany,  N.Y.,  upon  payment  of  the  cost  of  producing 
them. 

Monthly  estimates  will  be  paid  of  ninety  per  centum  (90  per  cent)  of  the 
work  done  at  the  contract  price.  Every  proposal  for  said  work  must  be 
accompanied  by  a  money  deposit  in  the  form  of  a  draft  or  certified  check  upon 
some  good  banking  institution  in  the  city  of  Albany  or  New  York,  issued  by  a 
national  or  State  bank  in  good  credit  within  the  State  and  payable  at  sight  to 
the  Superintendent  of  Public  Works  for  five  per  centum  (5  per  cent)  of  the 
amount  of  the  proposal. 

The  person  whose  proposal  shall  be  accepted  will  be  required  to  execute  a 
contract  and  furnish  bonds  within  ten  days  from  the  date  of  notice  of  award 
delivered  to  him  or  them  in  person  or  mailed  to  the  address  given  in  the  pro- 
posal. Upon  execution  of  the  contract  and  approval  of  bonds,  the  deposit 
will  be  returned  to  the  proposer.  The  deposits  of  bidders  other  than  the  one 
to  whom  the  award  of  contract  shall  be  made  will  be  returned  immediately 
after  the  award  has  been  made.  The  amount  of  bond  required  for  faithful 
performance  will  be  twenty-five  per  centum  (25  per  cent)  of  the  amount  of  the 
estimated  cost  of  the  work  according  to  the  contract  price,  and  an  additional 
bond,  known  as  the  labor  bond,  in  the  sum  of  ten  per  centum  (10  per  cent)  of 


130  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

the  amount  of  the  estimated  cost  of  the  work  according  to  the  contract  price, 
will  be  required  as  security  that  the  contractor  will  pay  in  full  at  least  once 
in  each  month  all  laborers  employed  by  him  upon  the  work  specified  to  be 
done  in  the  contract. 

Each  proposal  must  be  addressed  to  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Works, 
Albany,  N.  Y.,  and  must  be  endorsed  on  the  envelope  with  the  name  of  the 
construction  for  which  the  proposal  is  made. 

Award,  if  made,  will  be  made  to  the  person  or  persons  whose  proposal 
shall  be  lowest  in  cost  to  the  State  for  doing  the  work,  and  which  shall  com- 
ply with  all  provisions  required  to  render  it  formal.  Before  any  award 
shall  be  made  the  lowest  bidder  will  be  required  to  satisfy  the  Superin- 
tendent of  Public  Works  of  his  ability  to  provide  suitable  equipment  and 
materials  for  the  proper  performance  of  the  work. 

The  right  is  reserved  to  reject  all  proposals  and  readvertise  and  award  the 
contract  in  the  regular  manner  if,  in  the  judgment  of  the  undersigned,  the 
interests  of  the  State  will  be  enhanced  thereby. 

F.  C.  STEVENS, 
Superintendent  of  Public  Works. 


Advertisement  for  Dredging  Contract. 

COMMONWEALTH  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.  —  Board  of  Harbor  and 
Land  Commissioners,  State  House,  Boston,  July  31,  1908.  —  Sealed  bids  or 
proposals  for  dredging  a  channel  in  Plymouth  harbor  from  the  Cow  Yard  to 
the  wharf  of  the  Plymouth  Cordage  Company  will  be  received  by  the  Board 
of  Harbor  and  Land  Commissioners  at  Room  131,  State  House,  Boston, 
Mass.,  until  2  o'clock  p.  M.,  Friday,  September  4,  1908,  and  then  and  there 
will  be  publicly  opened  and  read.  The  work  to  be  done  is  the  dredging  of 
about  700,000  cubic  yards  of  material  to  form  a  channel  about  1,100  feet 
long,  250  feet  wide  and  20  feet  deep  at  mean  low  water  through  the  bar  near 
the  Cow  Yard,  and  a  channel  about  5,000  feet  long,  150  feet  wide  and 
18  feet  deep  at  mean  low  water,  from  the  deep  water  inside  the  bar  to  the 
wharf  of  the  Plymouth  Cordage  Company,  the  excavated  material  to  be 
dumped  at  sea  about  2  miles  east  of  Gurnet  Lights.  All  proposals  must  b<3 
made  upon  blank  forms,  which,  together  with  information  in  regard  to  the 
work,  may  be  obtained  at  the  office  of  the  Board,  where  plans  and  specifi- 
cations may  be  seen.  Each  bidder  will  be  required  to  give  to  the  Board 
satisfactory  assurance  of  his  competency,  experience  and  responsibility. 
The  right  is  reserved  to  reject  any  and  all  bids,  and  to  waive  any  defect  or 
informality  at  the  discretion  of  the  Board.  GEORGE  E.  SMITH,  SAMUEL 
M.  MANSFIELD,  HEM  AN  A.  HARDING,  Harbor  and  Land  Commission- 
ers; FRANK  W.  HODGDON,  Chief  Engineer. 


BIDDING  ON  ENGINEERING  WORK  131 

Advertisement  for  City  Paving. 
STREET    IMPROVEMENTS. 

WHITE  PLAINS,  N.  Y. 

Sealed  proposals,  addressed  to  the  Village  Clerk,  will  be  received  by  the 
Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Village  of  White  Plains,  New  York,  until  8  P.  M.  of 
the  17th  day  of  August,  1908,  for  paving  improvements,  approximate  quan- 
tities of  which  here  follow: 

7,000  square  yards  of  brick  pavement. 

8,000  square  yards  of  macadam  pavement. 

4,000  lineal  feet  of  vitrified  tile  drains  and  appurtenances. 

18,000  lineal  feet  of  bluestone  curbing. 

18,000  lineal  feet  of  bluestone  sidewalk. 

23,000  lineal  feet  of  brick  gutter. 

Plans  and  profiles  may  be  examined,  and  upon  the  payment  of  one  dollar 
($1.00)  for  each  set,  which  deposit  will  be  returned  when  proposals  are 
received  by  the  Board  of  Trustees,  specifications  and  form  of  agreement 
may  be  secured  at  the  office  of  James  F.  Goerke,  Village  Engineer,  Room 
714,  Realty  Building,  White  Plains,  N.  Y. 

Bids  must  be  made  in  strict  accordance  with  the  Instructions  to  Bidders 
attached  to  the  Specifications. 

By  order  of  the  Board  of  Trustees. 

Dated  White  Plains,  N.  Y.,  July  20,  1908. 

CHRISTOPHER  HARMON, 
President  pro  tern  and  Acting  President. 

PETER   PAULDING, 

Village  Clerk. 

Advertisement  for  City  Sewers. 
SEWER. 

OFFICE  OF  THE  COMMISSIONERS  OF  SEWERAGE 
OF  LOUISVILLE,  INCORPORATED. 

Sealed  proposals  for  the  construction  of  a  sewer  known  as  Section  "D" 
of  the  Southern  Outfall  Sewer,  Contract  No.  11  of  the  Comprehensive 
System  of  Sewerage  for  the  City  of  Louisville,  Ky.,  will  be  received  at  the 
office  of  the  Commissioners  of  Sewerage  until  12  o'clock  noon  August  21st,  1908. 

The  work  consists  mainly  of  building  a  sewer  to  be  constructed  of  rein- 
forced concrete  as  follows:  770  ft.  concrete  13  ft.  9  in.  in  diameter;  2,763  ft. 
concrete  13  ft.  6  in.  in  diameter;  1,037  ft.  concrete  13  ft.  3  in.  in  diameter; 
1,360  ft.  concrete  13  ft.  in  diameter. 

The  principal  items  in  the  Engineer's  estimate  of  the  work  are  approxi- 
mately as  follows: 

Depth  of  cut,  26  to  42  feet. 

Concrete  masonry,  11,000  cu.  yds. 

Reinforcing  steel,  660,000  Ibs. 

Plans  and  specifications  may  be  seen  at  the  office  of  the  Commissioners 
and  at  the  office  of  the  Consulting  Engineer,  Harrison  P.  Eddy,  of  Metcalf 
&  Eddy,  14  Beacon  Street,  Boston,  Mass. 


132  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

Sealed  bids  should  be  endorsed  "Proposals  for  Section  *D'  of  the  Southern 
Outfall  Sewer,"  and  addressed  to  the  Commissioners  of  Sewerage,  Equitable 
Building,  Louisville,  Ky.  Each  bid  shall  be  accompanied  by  a  certified 
check  for  at  least  seven  per  cent  (7%)  of  the  total  amount  of  the  bid  or  a 
"Bidder's  Bond"  as  described  in  the  form  of  proposal. 

P.  L.  ATHERTON, 

Chairman. 
CHAS.  P.  WEAVER, 

Secretary  and  Treasurer. 
J.  B.  F.  BREED, 

Chief  Engineer. 

Advertisement  for  Steel  Bridge  Contract. 

BRIDGE. 
NOTICE  TO  CONTRACTORS. 

SALISBURY,  MARYLAND. 

Sealed  proposals,  accompanied  by  plans,  addressed  to  the  County  Commis- 
sioners of  Wicomico  County,  for  the  construction  of  a  steel  plate  girder  draw- 
bridge over  the  Wicomico  River,  at  the  crossing  of  Main  Street,  Salisbury, 
Maryland,  will  be  received  until  12  o'clock,  noon,  of  the  eighteenth  day  of 
August,  1908,  according  to  the  specifications  on  file  with  the  Clerk  to  the  County 
Commissioners,  at  their  office  in  Salisbury,  Md.  Each  bid  must  be  accom- 
panied by  a  certified  check  for  $200,  which  will  become  the  property  of  the 
County,  should  the  successful  bidder  fail  to  execute  a  contract  awarded  to  him. 
The  County  Commissioners  reserve  the  right  to  reject  any  and  all  bids. 

By  order  of  the  Board, 

H.  M.  CLARK, 

Roads  Engineer. 

Advertisement  for  Stone  Bridge  Contract. 
BRIDGE. 

WOONSOCKET,  R.  I. 

Sealed  proposals,  endorsed  "  Proposals  for  Building  a  Stone  Arch  or  a  Con- 
crete and  Steel  Arch  Bridge  on  Sayles  Street  and  over  the  Blackstone  River," 
will  be  received  by  Stephen  Magown,  Chairman  of  Committee  on  Streets  and 
Bridges,  until  four  (4)  P.  M.  Friday,  August  21,  1908. 

Each  bid  must  be  accompanied  by  a  certified  check  for  the  sum  of  Five  Hun- 
dred (500)  Dollars,  made  payable  to  the  order  of  the  City  Treasurer  of  the  City  of 
Woonsocket,  as  surety  that  if  the  bid  is  accepted  a  contract  will  be  entered  into. 

Plans,  specifications  and  form  of  proposal  and  contract  may  be  obtained  at 
the  office  of  the  City  Engineer. 

Contractors  may  submit  design  and  specification  for  a  steel  and  concrete 
bridge. 

The  right  to  reject  any  or  all  bids  is  expressly  reserved,  as  the  interest  of  the 

city  may  appear. 

STEPHEN  MAGOWN,  Chairman. 

JAMES  MULLEN, 
RAPHAEL  P.  DAIGNAULT, 

Committee  on  Streets  and  Bridges. 
FRANK  H.  MILLS, 

City  Engineer. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

ORGANIZATION   OF   CONTRACT   WORK. 

THERE  are  so  many  different  classes  of  contracts  that  it  is 
difficult  in  any  short  space  fully  to  outline  the  methods  of  or- 
ganization which  would  be  applicable  only  in  a  general  way  to 
any  particular  class  of  work.  The  size  of  contracts  also  has  very 
much  to  do  with  the  extent  of  the  organization  for  handling  it, 
small  contracts,  of  course,  not  warranting  anything  like  the 
outlay  for  management  and  supervision  that  could  be  made  for 
large  pieces  of  work  or  by  a  concern  handling  a  large  amount  of 
work  of  different  kinds. 

There  are,  moreover,  so  many  classes  of  contractors,  both  as 
to  class  of  work  and  as  to  the  amount  of  capital  invested,  that 
what  would  do  in  one  case  would  be  entirely  inadequate  in 
another.  Many  contractors  simply  take  what  work  they  can 
look  after  themselves  without  employing  any  help  whatever, 
and  such  ones  usually,  as  the  saying  goes,  "have  their  offices 
in  their  hats. ' '  An  individual  contractor  handling  a  medium 
amount  of  work,  or  a  small  concern,  will,  of  course,  have  a  small 
organization  to  assist  in  carrying  out  contracts,  while  a  large 
contractor  or  firm  will  have  a  very  complete  organization  to 
handle  all  contracts  and  all  details  in  the  most  complete  man- 
ner possible. 

OFFICE  ORGANIZATION  is  the  first  thing  that  would  naturally 
be  arranged  for  by  any  one  entering  upon  a  large  contract  or 
engaging  in  a  general  contract  business.  The  departments  of 
such  an  office  force  would  be  the  general  officers,  the  contracting 
department,  the  engineering  department,  the  accounting  de- 
partment, the  purchasing  department,  and  the  superintending 
department  of  the  contracts,  which  latter  may  generally  be  in- 
cluded among  the  general  officers. 

THE  GENERAL  OFFicERSof  the  company  are  usually  a  president, 
vice-president,  general  manager,  manager,  chief  engineer,  super- 
intendent, secretary,  treasurer,  auditor,  and  purchasing  agent. 

133 


134  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

In  a  large  concern  one  person  would  hold  only  one  of  the  above 
offices,  but  as  the  concern  becomes  smaller  one  person  would 
likely  hold  two  or  more  offices;  for  example,  the  president  or 
vice-president  might  also  hold  the  office  of  general  manager,  or 
one  of  them  might  hold  the  office  of  chief  engineer,  or  secretary, 
or  treasurer.  The  general  manager  might  be  termed  a  general 
superintendent  or  might  be  the  only  superintendent  employed 
by  the  concern.  The  offices  of  secretary  and  auditor  are  very 
often  combined,  as  are  also  the  offices  of  secretary  and  treasurer. 

THE  ENGINEERING  DEPARTMENT  has  as  its  head  the  engineer  or 
chief  engineer  of  the  concern,  who  looks  after  all  engineering 
matters,  including  the  making  of  detailed  plans  on  work  where 
only  general  plans  have  been  furnished,  or  the  making  of  general 
plans  where  the  contractor  makes  the  general  plan  to  be  submitted 
with  a  bid.  The  engineering  department  also  assists  the  other  de- 
partments by  making  up  orders  for  material  to  conform  to  the 
plans  and  specifications  for  the  contracts  that  are  to  be  executed, 
by  making  up  and  checking  estimates  for  work  that  is  to  be  bid 
upon  and  for  work  that  is  being  carried  out.  The  chief  engineer 
will  have  as  many  assistants  as  are  necessary  for  the  amount 
of  work  to  be  carried  on,  consisting  of  engineers,  estimators, 
draftsmen,  and  clerks. 

THE  CONTRACTING  DEPARTMENT  is  usually  combined  with  or 
closely  related  to  the  engineering  department,  the  engineering 
work  being  done  under  the  chief  engineer's  direction.  The  bidding 
on  work  is  generally  done  under  the  supervision  of  the  president, 
vice-president,  general  manager,  or  chief  engineer,  the  contract- 
ing agents  having  their  figures  supplied  to  them  in  whatever 
detail  is  necessary  for  properly  making  up  a  bid  on  each  particular 
piece  of  work.  These  contracting  agents  are  usually  men  familiar 
enough  with  contract  work  to  make  up  small  estimates  or  intelli- 
gently to  modify  estimates  or  to  make  up,  should  the  occasion 
arise,  figures  of  proposed  changes  for  making  a  modified  bid. 
Many  contracting  firms  employ  engineers  as  contracting  agents, 
so  that  each  one  is  able  to  make  up  his  own  estimates  of  materials 
and  costs. 

THE  PURCHASING  DEPARTMENT  is  also  very  closely  related  to 
the  engineering  department,  getting  all  the  data  for  buying 
material  from  the  chief  engineer  or  his  assistants.  It  is  necessary 
for  the  head  of  this  department  to  be*  well  posted  as  to  all  classes 


ORGANIZATION  OF  CONTRACT  WORK  135 

of  materials,  and  both  as  to  actual  and  relative  prices,  as  very 
much  of  the  profit  of  the  concern  depends  upon  the  skill  and 
care  with  which  the  buying  is  done,  the  same  as  in  any  other 
line  of  business.  Should  the  purchasing  agent  be  so  careless  or 
inexperienced  as  to  let  a  firm  get  the  idea  that  they  are  the  only 
ones  bidding  on  materials,  he  will  pretty  surely  not  get  satis- 
factory figures,  or  figures  which  will  be  low  enough  to  materially 
help  out  the  profits.  In  fact,  in  no  other  department  is  there 
more  need  of  a  high-class  man. 

THE  AUDITING  OR  ACCOUNTING  department  is  usually  under  the 
direct  charge  of  either  the  auditor  or  secretary  of  the  company, 
and  all  accounts,  both  general  and  for  each  particular  contract, 
are  carefully  kept  by  the  employees  of  this  department.  The 
general  accounts  would  cover  the  general  expenses,  salaries, 
interest,  discount,  taxes,  office  expense,  and  any  other  items  not 
directly  chargeable  to  other  general  or  detailed  accounts.  Con- 
tracting expense  covers  all  expenses  incurred  in  the  advertising 
of  the  business,  making  up  of  estimates  for  bidding,  and  the 
actual  expenses  incurred  in  the  contracting  department  in 
salaries,  traveling  expenses,  and  the  like.  Other  general  accounts 
which  may  be  mentioned  are  interest  and  discount,  repairs  and 
renewals,  and  any  other  classes  of  expense  which  cannot  be 
directly  charged  to  the  separate  contracts.  Separate  contract 
accounts  should  be  kept  for  each  particular  piece  of  work  with 
separate  columns,  so  that  each  portion  of  the  expense  may  be 
segregated  in  the  ledger,  such  as  material,  labor,  transportation, 
and  after  all  other  items  that  are  desired  have  been  provided  for, 
a  column  for  incidentals,  which  will  cover  all  small  items  not 
properly  taken  care  of  under  one  of  the  general  headings.  For 
example,  on  steam-shovel  work,  the  separate  columns  of  a  ledger 
account  of  a  contract  would  be  labor,  fuel,  repairs,  supplies, 
oil  and  waste,  and  water.  It  is  advisable,  of  course,  to  simplify 
the  bookkeeping  as  much  as  possible,  in  order  to  have  time 
for  properly  figuring  up  and  tabulating  the  cost  of  work  as  com- 
pleted and  in  order  to  have  data  for  figuring  on  new  contracts. 
It  has  been  the  writer's  custom  for  many  years  to  use  a  book- 
keeping system  wherein  the  day-book,  journal  and  cash-book 
are  all  combined  in  one,  called  the  synoptic,  the  general  accounts 
being  kept  in  separate  columns  of  the  synoptic,  as  may  be  seen 
from  the  sample  pages,  and  not  posted  to  the  ledger,  such  items 


136  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

as  are  necessary  to  post  up  on  ledger  accounts  being  carried  out 
into  the  columns  headed  ledger,  and  from  which  the  ledger 
posting  is  done.  An  examination  of  the  sample  pages  of  a 
contractor's  ledger  also  show  how  contracts  may  be  satisfactorily 
segregated.  The  auditing  department  also  makes  up  all  pay 
rolls  and  checks  and  all  statements  that  are  necessary  as  to 
the  financial  end  of  the  business. 

THE  SUPERINTENDING  of  the  work  is  generally  in  charge  of  the 
general  manager,  general  superintendent,  or  superintendent,  as 
the  case  may  be.  In  case  there  are  a  great  many  branches  of 
work  carried  on  there  will  be  the  general  superintendent,  with 
as  many  assistant  superintendents  as  may  be  necessary  to  the 
organization.  Under  the  superintendent  are  all  of  the  foremen, 
timekeepers,  and  employees  of  the  field  organization,  which  will 
be  taken  up  more  in  detail  later  on. 

THE  STOREHOUSE,  which  is  the  general  term  for  tool  house,  and 
yard  where  material  and  large  plant  are  stored,  may  be  under 
the  manager,  superintendent,  or  directly  under  the  purchasing 
agent  or  such  other  officer  as  may  perform  the  duties  of  pur- 
chasing agent.  This  department  is  usually  in  charge  of  a  store- 
keeper who  has  such  clerks  and  laborers  as  may  be  necessary, 
and  in  the  case  of  there  being  material  and  storage  yards  for 
plant  there  may  be  a  yardmaster  or  foreman  and  such  assist- 
ants as  may  be  necessary.  The  storehouse  should  be  carefully 
arranged  so  that  the  tools  can  be  readily  gotten  at  and  readily 
repaired  and  kept  in  good  condition,  it  even  being  advisable  to 
have  a  blacksmith,  machinist,  and  carpenter  with  their  helpers 
to  keep  up  repairs  when  a  plant  is  busy.  All  pieces  of  plant 
upon  being  returned  to  the  storehouse  should  be  put  in  good 
repair  ready  to  go  out  on  another  piece  of  work  without  delay, 
as  special  plant  is  usually  sent  out  in  response  to  a  tele- 
gram from  the  superintendent  or  foreman  in  the  field  to 
help  in  emergencies.  Such  stock  as  is  carried  in  the  store- 
house or  yards  should  be  carefully  arranged  and  carefully  sorted 
out  so  that  it  can  be  readily  shipped  and  so  that  material  will 
not  be  purchased  which  is  already  in  stock. 

THE  TRANSPORTATION  DEPARTMENT  of  a  large  contract  corpora- 
tion or  organization  is  also  a  very  important  one  and  may  be 
in  charge  of  either  the  purchasing  agent,  transportation  super- 
intendent, or  shipping  clerk.  In  either  case  the  man  in  charge 


ORGANIZATION  OF  CONTRACT  WORK  137 

should  be  well  informed  as  to  the  different  classes  and  makes 
of  tools  and  as  to  the  requirements  of  tools  for  doing  various 
kinds  of  work,  so  that  the  most  suitable  outfit,  an  outfit  in 
proper  shape  to  do  work,  will  always  be  sent  out  to  the  various 
contracts,  as  otherwise  great  inconvenience  and  even  loss 
result.  In  a  large  city  it  is  necessary  to  have  teams  for  doing 
the  hauling  to  city  work,  and  at  the  different  depots  and  docks 
from  which  plant  and  material  are  to  be  shipped.  The  superin- 
tendent of  this  part  of  the  transportation  department  may 
also  be  in  general  charge  of  such  teams  as  are  used  on  the  various 
contracts  direct. 

Where  contract  work  is  being  carried  on  in  such  a  region  as 
New  York  Harbor,  San  Francisco  Bay,  or  Puget  Sound,  tugboats, 
launches,  and  lighters  are  quite  necessary  for  the  economical 
and  proper  handling  of  contracts,  and  the  superintendent  of  the 
transportation  department  should  have  an  assistant  in  charge 
of  the  floating  plant  or  equipment,  who  thoroughly  understands 
tugboat  operation  and  the  operation  and  care  of  lighters  or 
scows  and  floating  pile  drivers. 

THE  FIELD  ORGANIZATION  may  be  under  the  direct  charge  of 
the  general  manager  or  chief  engineer,  with  a  superintendent  or 
superintendents  in  direct  charge  of  the  construction  work,  as 
may  be  necessary  to  provide  for  the  different  classes  of  work 
handled,  such  as  municipal  work,  bridge  work,  and  dredge 
work,  which  are  distinct  and  separate  kinds  of  construction. 
Each  separate  contract  will  be  in  charge  of  an  assistant  superin- 
tendent for  a  large  piece  of  work  or  a  foreman  for  a  medium  sized 
or  small  contract.  Where  the  contract  is  a  large  one,  under  either 
an  assistant  superintendent  or  a  foreman,  there  will  be  one  or 
more  subforemen  or  as  they  are  usually  called,  "straw  bosses," 
in  charge  of  the  various  branches  of  the  work.  On  work  of  any 
size  a  timekeeper  will  be  necessary  for  keeping  the  time  of  the 
men,  making  out  time  checks,  checking  off  material,  and  doing 
such  other  clerical  work  as  may  be  necessary.  It  is  necessary  to 
have  a  man  in  direct  charge  of  each  contract,  whether  as  assistant 
superintendent  or  foreman,  who  is  capable  of  handling  men  and 
getting  the  maximum  amount  of  work  out  of  them  and  keeping 
everything  in  the  way  of  help  and  plant  up  to  its  greatest  effi- 
ciency and  at  the  lowest  possible  cost.  A  poor  foreman  will 
easily  drop  the  estimated  profit  on  a  job  by  reaso'n  of  keeping 


138  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

inefficient  men,  paying  a  higher  rate  of  wages  than  is  necessary, 
or  failing  to  keep  his  plant  up  in  first-class  shape.  He  must 
also  see  that  the  work  is  laid  out  far  enough  ahead  so  that  men 
and  material  can  be  kept  on  the  ground  to  insure  the  work  mov- 
ing along  without  any  hitch  and  without  expensive  delays. 

BRIDGE  SHOP  ORGANIZATION,  while  a  distinct  branch  of  con- 
tracting, is  more  properly  a  branch  of  manufacturing,  the  bridge 
company  having  its  general  officers  similar  to  those  before 
enumerated.  The  shop  itself  will  have  a  superintendent 
thoroughly  posted  on  every  branch  of  the  work  and  preferably 
an  educated  engineer  who  can  reason  and  figure  out  everything 
for  himself.  He  will  have  an  office  force  consisting  of  stenog- 
raphers, material  clerks,  and  timekeepers  to  assist  in  thoroughly 
organizing  and  superintending  the  plant.  The  work  in  the  shops 
will  be  in  charge  of  foremen  reporting  to  the  superintendent, 
consisting  of  a  yard  foreman,  who  looks  after  the  receiving  and 
storing  of  material  and  the  shipping  out  of  the  finished  product, 
a  foreman  of  the  templet  shop,  where  all  of  the  templets  or 
wooden  patterns  are  made  for  laying  out  the  work  and  marking 
holes  to  be  punched  for  riveting  up  the  material.  And  there  will 
also  be  a  pattern  department  under  this  foreman  for  making 
patterns  for  castings  that  may  be  used  either  in  the  plant  or 
for  the  making  of  iron  or  steel  castings  for  contract  work.  In 
addition  to  this  there  will  be  a  foreman  of  the  straightening 
sheds,  laying-out  department,  punching  department,  riveting 
department,  boring  department  and  planing  department,  the 
machine  shop  and  the  forge  shop.  If  a  foundry  is  operated, 
there  will  also  be  a  foreman  in  charge  of  this.  Where  plants 
are  operated  both  day  and  night,  it  will  be  necessary  to  have  an 
assistant  superintendent  and  a  duplicate  of  all  of  the  shop 
organization,  or  so  much  of  it  as  is  operating  double  turn. 

While  the  foregoing  is  simply  an  outline  of  the  organization 
that  it  is  advisable  to  have  for  various  kinds  of  work,  do  not  over- 
look the  fact  that  it  must  be  modified  to  suit  conditions  and  to 
"make  the  punishment  fit  the  crime."  Whatever  you  do  when 
you  are  put  in  charge  of  work,  do  not  make  the  very  common 
mistake  of  making  your  organization  top-heavy,  as  it  is  impos- 
sible or  impracticable  to  have  sufficient  help  to  make  contract 
work  easy  for  those  engaged  in  it  without  making  it  top-heavy 
and  making  the  general  expenses  of  the  concern  run  beyond 


ORGANIZATION  OF  CONTRACT  WORK  139 

what  is  economical  or  possible  from  the  standpoint  of  cost. 
After  twenty  years  in  this  kind  of  work,  the  writer  has  found  it 
impossible  to  get  along  without  putting  in  long  hours  and,  as 
the  saying  is,  "  working  practically  day  and  night  and  Sunday  " 
to  keep  things  moving  along  without  waste  or  excessive  cost. 
In  this,  as  in  most  other  things  which  are  made  a  success,  genius 
simply  consists  of  hard  work,  and  there  is  no  "royal  road"  to 
making  the  wheels  turn  around  continuously  and  smoothly. 


140 


ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 


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CHAPTER  X. 

ESSENTIALS   OF   CONTRACT   LAW. 

THE  various  definitions  of  a  contract  have  been  given  in 
Chapter  II,  but  in  this  chapter  will  be  given  a  synopsis  of  the 
law  of  contracts,  so  as  to  cover  the  entire  subject  in  an  abbrevi- 
ated form. 

THE  ESSENTIALS  OF  A  CONTRACT  are  given  in  "Clark 'on  Con- 
tracts "  as  follows: 

"As  there  must  be  an  agreement  directly  contemplating  and 
resulting  in  an  obligation,  and  the  agreement  must  be  enforceable 
in  the  law,  therefore, 

"  (a)  There  must  be  a  distinct  communication  by  the  parties 
to  one  another  of  their  intention,  or  an  offer  and  acceptance. 

"  (6)  The  agreement  must  possess  the  marks  which  the  law 
requires  in  order  that  it  may  affect  the  legal  relations  of  the 
parties,  and  be  an  act  in  the  law.  Therefore  (1)  it  must  be  in 
the  form  required  by  law.  (2)  There  must  be  a  consideration, 
when  required  by  law. 

"  (c)  The  parties  must  be  capable  in  law  of  making  a  valid 
contract. 

"  (d)  The  consent  expressed  in  offer  and  acceptance  must  be 
genuine. 

"  (e)  The  objects  which  the  contract  proposes  to  effect  must  be 
legal." 

AN  OFFER  AND  ACCEPTANCE  is  the  usual  method  preliminary  to 
the  making  of  a  contract.  In  other  words,  one  party  must  make 
an  offer  and  the  other  party  accept  the  same  exactly  as  the 
offer  was  made,  in  order  for  the  written  offer  and  acceptance 
to  constitute  a  contract  in  themselves  or  form  the  basis  for  a 
formal  written  contract. 

In  case  the  offer  and  acceptance  are  verbal,  it  is  necessary  to 
put  the  contract  in  writing  and  have  it  signed  by  both  parties 

NOTE:  —  This  chapter  is  derived  from  "  Clark  Oil  Contracts,1'  and  the  arrange- 
ment of  this  admirable  work  has  been  closely  followed.  Exact  quotations  have 
been  made  in  some  instances  and  throughout  the  construction  has  been  pre- 
served as  nearly  as  possible  consistent  with  the  brevity  required. 

142 


ESSENTIALS  OF  CONTRACT  LAW  143 

in  order  to  make  the  transaction  a  legally  safe  one,  as  it  might 
be  difficult  to  prove  the  verbal  contract. 

The  offer  may  be  either  in  writing  or  verbally,  or  by  means  of 
an  act,  such  as  where  one  party  goes  ahead  and  performs  work 
for  another  under  conditions  where,  without  any  objection  on 
the  part  of  the  person  having  the  work  done,  it  is  reasonable 
to  suppose  he  will  pay  for  the  services.  In  other  words,  the 
doing  of  the  work  is  an  offer  and  the  silent  consent  of  the  other 
party  may  be  a  legal  acceptance. 

When  an  offer  is  made  without  limitation  as  to  time  of  accept- 
ance, it  may  be  accepted  by  the  party  to  whom  it  is  made  in  any 
reasonable  time.  But  if  the  acceptance  contains  provisos  or 
modifies  the  terms  of  the  offer,  then  the  party  making  the  offer 
is  not  legally  bound  unless  he  later  assents  to  the  changes.  In 
other  words,  the  acceptance  of  an  offer  must  be  absolute  and 
unconditional  and  exactly  according  to  the  terms  of  the  offer 
in  every  respect.  The  offer  must  be  intended  to  create  and 
capable  of  creating  legal  relations. 

If  there  is  no  limit  set  upon  the  time  of  acceptance  of  the 
offer,  it  may  be  withdrawn  at  any  time  prior  to  its  acceptance, 
except  at  common  law  "an  offer  under  seal  cannot  be  revoked." 

If  the  person  receiving  the  offer  has  mailed  or  telegraphed 
an  acceptance  previous  to  the  receipt  by  him  of  the  withdrawal 
of  the  offer,  then  the  contract  is  completed  and  is  legally  binding. 

The  death  of  either  party  before  acceptance  causes  an  offer 
to  lapse. 

CONTRACTS  ARE  CLASSIFIED  as  contracts  under  seal  and  con- 
tracts of  record. 

A  contract  of  record  may  be  defined  as  a  judgment  whereby 
a  sum  of  money  is  awarded  to  one  of  the  parties  to  the  suit  by 
a  court  of  record,  and  is  an  obligation  upon  one  party  to  pay  the 
amount  so  awarded  to  the  other  party  concerned  in  the  suit. 
When  this  judgment  has  been  entered  by  the  court  it  becomes 
a  contract. 

For  a  contract  under  seal  no  consideration  is  necessary 
and  a  longer  time  is  allowed  for  action  than  in  the  case  of  the 
simple  contract.  A  contract  under  seal  acts  as  a  merger  of  a 
former  simple  contract,  and  the  parties  to  the  contract  are 
estopped  thereby. 

At  common  law  it  is  necessary  to  have  a  contract  under  seal 
where  the  promise  made  is  without  any  consideration;  and  all 


144  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

conveyances  of  land  must  be  made  under  seal  in  most  juris- 
dictions. 

CONTRACTS  MUST  BE  IN  WRITING.  This  covers  bills  of  exchange 
and  promissory  notes  under  common  law  and  by  statute.  In. 
some  states  of  the  Union  it  is  necessary  to  have  in  writing 
acceptance  of  bills  of  exchange  and  various  orders  for  the  pay- 
ment of  money,  also  the  acknowledgment  of  a  debt  which  has 
been  barred  by  the  statute  of  limitations,  or  the  renewal  of  a 
promise  previously  made  by  an  infant,  when  an  infant  has 
attained  legal  age. 

In  some  other  specified  contracts  the  statute  of  frauds  re- 
quires them  to  be  in  writing. 

THE  STATUTE  OF  FRAUDS  is  based  on  an  old  English  statute 
relating  to  frauds  and  perjuries  which  was  enacted  in  the  year 
1677,  it  being  stated  therein  that  it  was  enacted  for  the  "Preven- 
tion of  many  fraudulent  practices,  which  are  commonly  endeav- 
ored to  be  upheld  by  perjury  and  subornation  of  perjury." 

The  fourth  and  seventeenth  sections  are  the  ones  which  have 
a  bearing  on  the  forms  of  simple  contracts,  but  do  not,  however, 
apply  to  contracts  which  are  created  by  law,  or  instruments 
which  by  means  of  special  statutes  derive  their  obligations  there- 
from, nor  to  executed  contracts.  The  reader  is  referred  to 
works  on  the  law  of  contracts  for  a  full  discussion  of  this  question. 

CONSIDERATION  is  one  of  the  vital  points  of  any  contract,  and  is 
that  which  passes  between  the  parties  to  a  contract  as  payment 
for  the  performance  of  the  contract. 

This  must  be  a  valuable  consideration,  although  not  necessarily 
in  money,  but  its  equivalent;  although  if  a  negotiable  con- 
tract has  passed  to  a  bona  fide  purchaser,  the  want  of  a  con- 
sideration would  not  make  the  contract  void. 

The  consideration  does  no,t  have  to  be  of  necessity  adequate, 
but  must  be  something  of  value  in  the  regard  of  the  law,  although 
the  fact  of  the  consideration  being  inadequate  may  be  evidence 
of  fraud  and  grounds  for  relief  from  a  contract  as  proving  fraud 
or  undue  influence. 

While  the  consideration  is  not  required  to  be  in  money  or 
adequate  in  amount,  it  must  have  some  real  value,  such  as  a  bona 
fide  act  by  one  party  or  detriment  suffered  by  the  other. 

One  promise  is  sufficient  consideration  for  another,  but  the 
promises  must  be  concurrent,  and  while  promises  may  be 


ESSENTIALS  OF  CONTRACT  LAW  145 

contingent  or  conditional,  they  must  be  mutual  so  that  both 
parties  are  bound  or  neither  is  bound. 

Forbearing  to  do  a  thing  may  constitute  a  consideration, 
but  when  one  is  legally  bound  to  do  a  thing,  the  mere  promising 
to  do  it  does  not  constitute  a  consideration,  as  the  forbearing 
may  arise  from  a  previous  contract  or  by  reason  of  some  law. 

It  is  no  consideration  to  make  a  promise  to  do  a  thing  which 
is  impossible  on  account  of  some  law,  and  a  promise  must  not 
be  foregoing  any  legal  right. 

A  consideration  cannot  be  provided  for  by  promising  to  do 
something  which  is  illegal  or  by  doing  that  which  is  illegal. 

The  consideration  cannot  be  considered  past  unless  it  was 
given  at  the  request  of  the  promisor,  or  where  the  promisee 
agrees  to  pay  for  something  voluntarily  done,  which  could  be 
legally  required  of  the  promisor,  or  where  the  person  by  making 
a  new  promise  revives  an  old  agreement  which  is  not  void  and 
under  which  he  was  benefited,  but  which  may  become  void  by 
reason  of  law. 

THE  CAPACITY  OF  PARTIES  TO  MAKE  CONTRACTS  is  a  very 
important  thing  in  any  kind  of  a  contract,  and  incapacity  may 
result  from  political  status,  professional  status,  youth,  idiocy, 
insanity,  drunkenness,  merger  of  capacity,  or  artificiality  of 
construction. 

The  authorized  agents  of  the  United  States  or  states,  but 
only  in  case  they  further  the  business  of  the  government  and 
comply  with  the  regulations  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States  and  the  states,  may  bring  suit  on  their  contracts,  but  can 
only  be  sued  subject  to  constitutional  provisions  and  provisions 
of  the  states. 

A  contract  cannot  be  enforced  against  foreign  states,  sovereigns, 
or  their  representatives,  but  they  can  enforce  contracts  in  our 
courts,  provided,  of  course,  that  if  they  submit  to  suit  the 
contract  can  be  enforced  against  them. 

Aliens  or  alien  enemies  have  power  to  make  contracts  exactly 
the  same  as  citizens,  and  they  may  be  sued  and  sue  on  contracts, 
but  this  does  not  apply  to  alien  enemies  during  hostilities, 
except  upon  the  consent  of  the  government,  although  there 
may  be  exceptions  to  this.  An  alien  enemy,  however,  may  be 
sued  on  a  contract  already  in  existence,  and  in  such  an  event 
defend  the  same,  and  a  war  does  not  dissolve  contracts  which 


146  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

were  in  existence  previous  thereto,  except  those  which  were 
continuing  in  nature. 

Convicts  may  sue  and  be  sued  upon  contracts,  unless  pro- 
hibited by  the  state,  and  they  can  also  make  contracts,  unless 
it  is  prohibited  by  the  state. 

A  lawyer  or  barrister  in  England  cannot  bring  suit  for  payment 
for  his  services,  but  this  restriction  does  not  exist  in  the  United 
States. 

CONTRACTS  MADE  BY  INFANTS  are  subject  to  such  numerous 
rulings  in  law  that  the  reader  is  referred  to  a  treatise  on  the  law 
of  contracts  for  a  full  discussion  of  the  subject,  it  being  enough  to 
say  here  that  some  of  the  contracts  made  by  an  infant  are  valid 
ones,  while  a  few  in  some  states  are  void,  but  most  of  them  may 
be  simply  avoided  at  the  option  of  the  infant. 

CONTRACTS  MADE  BY  AN  INSANE  PERSON  may  be  avoided  at  his 
option  with  the  exception  of  contracts  which  have  been  created 
by  law,  or  quasi  contracts.  Also  in  many  jurisdictions  where 
the  sane  party  acted  without  actual  knowledge  of  the  other 
party's  insanity  and  the  contract  is  made  in  good  faith. 

Contracts  made  with  an  insane  person  are  void  in  many 
jurisdictions  when  the  contract  has  been  made  by  a  person 
declared  insane  by  the  courts  and  where  a  guardian  has  been 
appointed. 

In  some  jurisdictions,  deeds  made  by  an  insane  person  are  void, 
and  in  many  jurisdictions  powers  of  attorney  or  agency  are 
void  if  executed  by  an  insane  person. 

CONTRACTS  MADE  BY  A  DRUNKEN  PERSON,  when  so  drunk  as 
not  to  be  able  to  understand  the  nature  or  facts,  may  be  avoided 
at  his  option  except  that  he  is  liable  the  same  as  an  insane  person 
where  contracts  are  created  by  law  or  are  quasi  contracts. 

Most  of  the  rules  relating  to  the  contracts  of  drunken  persons 
are  exactly  the  same  as  those  relating  to  infants  and  insane 
persons. 

THE  LAWS  RELATING  TO  CONTRACTS  MADE  BY  MARRIED  WOMEN 
vary  so  much  in  the  different  states  that  they  will  not  be  referred 
to  here,  but  the  reader  should  look  up  any  particular  case  in  an 
authority  on  the  subject. 

CORPORATIONS  ARE  ARTIFICIAL  IN  THEIR  NATURE  and  their 
contracts  can  only  be  made  by  an  officer  of  the  corporation  duly 
authorized  to  do  so  by  the  articles  of  incorporation  or  by-laws 


ESSENTIALS  OF  CONTRACT  LAW  147 

of  the  company,  and  unless  restricted  by  its  charter  may  sign 
contracts  in  the  same  manner  as  an  individual,  although  it  is 
usually  advisable,  but  not  always  necessary,  to  use  the  corporate 
seal  upon  a  contract. 

MUTUAL  AGREEMENT.  It  is  necessary  in  every  contract  that  the 
agreement  be  mutual,  or  in  other  words,  the  parties  thereto  must 
have  the  same  understanding  about  the  subject-matter,  and  it 
may  happen  that  there  is  no  real  consent  to  the  contract  because 
of  a  mistake,  misrepresentation,  fraud,  duress,  or  undue  influence. 

Mistake  is  where  one  party  understood  one  thing  and  the 
other  party  a  different  thing  from  the  wording  or  construction  of 
the  contract,  or  possibly  both  may  have  meant  the  same  thing 
but  had  a  different  idea  as  to  the  subject-matter  of  the  contract 
itself.  In  case  mistake  is  proven,  it  will,  in  many  cases,  void  a 
contract,  although  there  is,  of  course,  nothing  criminal  about  it. 

Misrepresentation  is  where,  without  any  criminal  intent,  one 
party  has  given  the  other  party  a  wrong  understanding,  and  as 
this  is  not  mistake,  it  simply  renders  a  contract  voidable. 

Fraud  is  where  the  misrepresentations  have  been  made 
intentionally,  and  when  proven,  the  contract  is  voidable  at  the 
option  of  the  party  injured. 

Duress  is  where  one  party  has  been  forced  to  sign  a  contract 
by  reason  of  threats  of  violence  or  imprisonment  either  to 
himself  or  to  one  of  his  immediate  family,  and  it  must  be  proven 
to  make  the  contract  voidable  at  the  option  of  the  party  who  has 
received  the  injury. 

Undue  influence  is  where  a  person  is  induced  to  sign  a  contract 
by  reason  of  advantage  having  been  taken  of  his  weakness  of 
mind,  insanity,  or  by  reason  of  some  authority  held  over  him. 
When  this  is  proven  the  contract  is  voidable  at  the  option  of  the 
injured  party. 

THE  OBJECT  OF  THE  CONTRACT  MUST  BE  LEGAL.  In  case  the 
object  of  a  contract  is  not  legal,  the  agreement  cannot  be 
enforced  and  is  therefore  in  reality  no  contract  at  all.  Such 
contracts  may  consist  in  a  violation  of  some  actual  law  or  may 
be  merely  against  public  policy.  Where  the  contract  violates 
a  positive  law,  it  may  be  either  some  rule  of  common  law  or  a 
statute.  Where  it  is  a  violation  of  a  common  law,  it  may  be 
one  involving  the  commission  of  a  crime  or  a  civil  wrong. 

In  certain  cases  the  lawmaking  body  may  by  statute  pro- 


148  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

hibit  the  making  of  certain  contracts,  such  as  the  regulation 
of  particular  lines  of  business  or  commerce,  the  sale  of  liquors, 
Sunday-closing  laws,  established  rates  of  interest,  and  laws 
against  public  policy. 

Public  policy  may  be  violated  in  contracts  tending  to  hurt 
or  injure  the  public  service,  tending  towards  the  corruption  of 
private  citizens  in  public  matters,  contracts  to  obstruct  justice, 
or  encourage  litigation.  This  policy  may  be  violated  also  by 
contracts  which  are  immoral  in  tendency,  which  refer  to  gambling 
transactions,  or  which  tend  to  fraud,  betrayal  of  trust,  or  affecting 
the  marriage  or  parental  relation. 

The  most  usual  form  of  contract  against  public  policy  is  one 
which  is  made  between  business  firms  or  corporations  in  restraint 
of  trade,  such  as  control  of  output  of  commodities  or  the  killing 
of  competition,  which,  of  course,  tend  to  create  monopoly;  and 
under  the  head  of  corporate  wrongs  might  also  be  cited  the 
exempting  of  corporations  as  well  as  individuals  from  legal 
liability  for  negligence. 

Promises  in  illegal  contracts  to  make  remuneration  in  money 
are  nearly  always  void,  unless  the  contract  has  been  purchased 
in  a  bona  fide  manner  by  other  parties,  in  which  case  there  may 
be,  under  certain  laws,  an  enforcement  of  the  contract. 

CONTRACTS  IN  THEIR  OPERATION  cannot  generally  involve  a 
person  who  is  not  a  party  to  them,  except  in  a  case  where  one  of 
the  parties  to  a  contract  simply  acts  as  the  agent  of  another,  or 
where  the  contract  has  been  assigned  to  other  parties  in  a  legal 
manner,  but  in  some  states  other  parties  may  be  involved  by 
statute. 

Where  a  contract  is  one  of  employment,  it  of  course  imposes 
an  obligation  on  other  persons  not  to  interfere  and  endeavor  to 
make  the  employee  break  the  contract;  and  some  courts  have 
gone  so  far  as  to  declare  that  the  principle  holds  in  all  contracts. 

Rights  cannot  be  conferred  by  contract  upon  a  third  person 
except  where  the  promisor  becomes  a  trustee  for  the  benefit 
of  other  parties,  or  where  money  passes  to  the  promisor  for  a 
third  party,  in  which  case  this  third  party  can  legally  sue  for 
the  same. 

Other  parties  than  those  making  a  contract  may  become 
interested  in  the  same  by  the  voluntary  acceptance  of  an 
assignment,  or  through  the  provision  of  some  law,  such  as  the 


ESSENTIALS  OF  CONTRACT  LAW  149 

transferring  of  rights  in  land  upon  a  woman's  marriage,  or  by 
reason  of  death  or  bankruptcy. 

Contracts  where  more  than  one  party  is  involved  upon  one 
or  both  sides  may  be  joint,  several,  or  both  joint  and  several. 

CONTRACTS  ARE  INTERPRETED  by  evidence  and  rules  of 
construction. 

Where  a  contract  is  alleged  to  have  been  made  verbally, 
the  facts  in  reference  thereto  are  questions  for  the  jury;  as  to 
whether  or  not  these  facts  constitute  a  contract  is  a  question 
of  law  for  the  courts  to  determine,  and  if  a  person  is  proven  to 
have  entered  into  a  contract  verbally  upon  certain  conditions, 
he  cannot  deny  what  he  stated  at  the  time  the  contract  was 
made. 

Where  a  contract  has  been  entered  into  verbally  and  later 
reduced  to  writing,  parol  evidence  cannot  be  offered  thereafter 
to  alter  the  same ;  and  if  the  contract  is  one  that  has  been  made 
under  seal,  it  in  itself  is  at  common  law  proof  of  the  contract. 

Where  there  is  a  statement  in  writing  of  the  contract,  and 
not  under  seal,  it  is  only  evidence  of  a  contract  and  not  one  in 
itself. 

Construction  of  a  contract  is  governed  by  very  general  rules. 
The  plain  and  usual  meaning  of  words  is  to  be  taken  as  governed 
by  ordinary  usage,  but  technical  terms  are  to  be  understood  in 
their  technical  sense.  The  construction  which  will  best  carry 
out  the  intention  of  the  contracting  parties  is  the  one  that  should 
be  held  to,  and  this  intention  should  be  gleaned  from  the  entire 
contract  and  not  from  a  portion  thereof. 

Other  minor  rules  are  that  grammatical  mistakes  which 
are  obvious  will  be  corrected.  Generally  words  must  be 
specific  with  reference  to  the  subject  of  the  contract.  Where 
two  meanings  can  be  given  to  the  contract,  the  one  will  generally 
be  used  which  will  make  it  valid,  and  it  will  also  be  interpreted 
in  a  reasonable  rather  than  an  unreasonable  sense.  The  party 
using  certain  words  in  a  contract  will  have  them  interpreted  most 
strongly  against  him.  Where  there  is  a  question  of  doubt,  the 
meaning  placed  upon  a  contract  by  the  parties  thereto  will  be 
used,  except  where  there  is  a  conflict  between  the  printed  matter 
and  any  portion  in  writing,  in  which  case  the  written  words 
will  control. 

Time  must  always  be  considered  as  the  essence  of  a  contract 


150  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

at  common  law,  but  in  equity  it  is  otherwise,  unless  it  was 
intended  by  the  parties  to  make  time  of  the  essence  by  express 
terms  or  fair  implications.  Where  such  an  intention  is  absent  a 
reasonable  time  will  be  given. 

A  penalty  or  liquidated  damages  is  an  amount  fixed  upon 
by  the  parties  to  a  contract  to  be  forfeited  in  case  of  default. 
Treatment  is  distinctly  set  forth  in  "Clark  on  Contracts"  as 
follows : 

"It  may  be  recovered  if  it  was  really  fixed  upon  as  liquidated 
damages  for  non-performance.  This  is  subject  to  the  rules 
of  construction  stated  below. 

"But  if  it  was  intended  in  the  nature  of  a  penalty  in  excess  of 
any  loss  likely  to  be  sustained,  the  recovery  will  be  limited  to 
the  loss  actually  sustained. 

"In  determining  whether  the  sum  named  is  a  penalty  or 
liquidated  damages,  these  rules  may  be  stated: 

"The  courts  will  not  be  guided  by  the  name  given  to  it  by 
the  parties. 

"If  the  matter  is  of  uncertain  value,  the  sum  fixed  is 
liquidated  damages. 

"If  a  debt  is  to  be  paid  by  installments,  it  is  no  penalty  to 
make  the  whole  debt  due  on  non-payment  of  an  installment. 

"  If  some  terms  of  the  contract  are  of  certain  value,  and 
some  are  not,  and  the  penalty  is  applied  to  a  breach  of  any  one 
of  them,  it  is  not  recoverable  as  liquidated  damages." 

Joint  and  several  contracts  are  also  treated  by  the  same 
author  as  follows: 

"Whether  or  not  a  contract  with  several  persons  on  either 
or  both  sides  is  to  be  construed  as  joint  or  several  depends  upon 
the  intention  of  the  parties  as  manifested  in  the  evidence  of 
their  agreement.  The  following  rules  may  be  stated: 

"A  promise  by  two  or  more  in  the  plural  number  is  prima 
facie  joint,  while  a  promise  in  the  singular  is  prima  facie  several; 
but  this  presumption  will  yield  if,  from  the  whole  agreement,  a 
contrary  intention  appears. 

"Subscriptions  by  a  number  of  persons  to  promote  some 
common  enterprise,  though  joint  in  form,  are  several  promises. 

"If  the  words  will  admit  of  it,  the  contract,  as  regards  the 
promisees,  will  be  joint  or  several,  according  as  their  interest 
is  joint  or  several." 


ESSENTIALS  OF  CONTRACT  LAW  151 

CONTRACTS  MAY  BE  DISCHARGED,  or  in  other  words,  legally  ful- 
filled, by  reason  of  an  agreement  between  the  contracting  parties, 
which  may  be  in  the  form  of  an  offer  to  cancel,  or  another  con- 
tract to  be  substituted  for  it;  or  discharged  by  reason  of  some 
clause  in  the  original  contract  which  cancels  it. 

An  agreement  for  the  discharge  of  the  contract  must  be  in 
the  same  general  form  as  any  other  contract. 

The  discharge  of  a  contract  by  performance  is  where  a  promise 
has  been  carried  out  by  the  promisor  and  also  where  one 
promise  has  been  given  as  a  consideration  for  another  and  both 
of  them  have  been  performed. 

Performance  may  also  consist  in  the  making  of  payment 
in  full  as  set  forth  in  the  contract,  or  this  payment  may  consist 
of  a  continuing  payment  made  in  legal  form. 

Where  one  of  the  parties  to  a  contract  breaks  it,  the  rule  is 
that  the  one  injured  has  the  right  to  legal  action  and  in  some 
cases  it  fully  discharges  the  contract,  although  this  will  depend 
upon  circumstances. 

The  discharge  may  consist  in  impossibility  of  performance; 
but  this  will  not  discharge  a  contract  legally,  except  where  the 
conditions  have  been  created  by  law  or  where  the  subject  referred 
to  in  the  contract  has  been  disturbed,  or  where  a  person  has  been 
incapacitated  for  rendering  personal  services. 

Bankruptcy  also  effects  a  release  from  a  contract  where  the 
court  has  given  an  order  of  discharge  to  the  bankrupt. 

The  remedies  to  be  had  by  the  injured  party  upon  the 
breaking  of  a  contract  are  that  he  is  not  required  to  make  any 
further  performance  of  the  contract;  he  may  sue  upon  the 
contract  for  work  done  thereon;  or  a  suit  may  be  brought  for 
damages  by  reason  of  loss  sustained,  or  for  the  specific  perform- 
ance by  the  other  party  to  the  contract. 

QUASI  CONTRACTS.  "  Contracts  in  Fact "  are  usually  the  only 
ones  where  a  legal  action  can  be  maintained.  There  are,  how- 
ever, cases  where  the  law  will  create  a  fictitious  promise,  so  that 
redress  may  be  obtained  by  "  action  of  assumpsit."  This  is 
what  is  meant  by  a  "  Quasi  Contract." 

These  may  be  based  upon  a  court  judgment;  a  statutory, 
official  or  customary  duty;  or  the  theory  that  for  one  person 
to  profit  at  the  expense  of  another  is  an  injustice. 

"  Whenever  one  person  requests  or  allows  another  to  assume 


152  ENGINEERING  AND  CONTRACTING 

such  a  position  that  the  latter  may  be  compelled  by  law  to  dis- 
charge the  former's  legal  liabilities,  the  law  imports  a  request 
and  promise  by  the  former  to  the  latter,  —  a  request  to  make 
the  payment,  and  a  promise  to  repay,  —  and  the  obligation  thus 
created  may  be  enforced  by  assumpsit." 

"  Wherever  one  person  has  money  to  which,  in  equity  and 
good  conscience,  another  is  entitled,  the  law  creates  a  promise 
by  the  former  to  pay  it  to  the  latter,  and  the  obligation  may 
be  enforced  by  assumpsit." 

"  Under  certain  circumstances,  where  one  person  has  con- 
ferred upon  another  benefits  in  the  way  of  property,  services, 
etc.,  and  cannot  show  a  promise  in  fact  by  the  latter  to  pay 
for  them,  the  law  will  create  an  obligation,  because  of  the  re- 
ceipt of  the  benefits,  to  pay  what  they  are  reasonably  worth." 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Accounting  department  organization 135 

Advertisement  for  bids 54,  123 

on  dredging  Olympia  Harbor 59 

on  paving 131 

on  State  canal 129 

sample  forms 128 

Alternate  bids 127 

Alterations  in  contracts > 29 

American  Railway  Engineering  and  Maintenance  of  Way  Association, 

testing  specifications 49 

Anchor  bolts  specifications 44 

Architects'  scale  of  charges 89 

Auditing  department  organization 135 

Bed  plates  specifications 44 

Bidders  instructions 55,  59,  68,  86 

requirements 127 

Bidding  on  engineering  work 123 

Bids,  alterations 57 

alternate 127 

knack  of  winning 126 

low 7 

rejection 127 

unit 127 

when  received 57 

Bond,  signature 56 

Bonds 13 

Bookkeeping  blanks 140 

Brickwork  daily  report  blank 119 

Bridge,  bridges: 

contracts  (see  contracts). 

cost  estimate  blanks 113 

details,  estimate  of  quantity 108 

erection,  inspection 96 

estimating  material 107 

inspection 95 

lengths,  specified 36 

loadings 36 

shop  organization 138 

specifications  (see  specifications). 

153 


154  INDEX 

PAGE 

Bridge,  bridges  (continued). 

steel,  advertisement  for  bids 13? 

stone,  advertisement  for  bids 132 

tests 38 

wind  loads 37 

Building,  buildings: 
contract  (see  contract), 

estimate  of  quantity  of  materials 109 

Bureau  of  Docks  and  Yards  specifications  for  rolling  mill  products 48 

Canal,  advertisement  for  bids 129 

Cancellation  of  contracts 30 

Capacity  of  parties  to  make  contracts 145 

Castings 37 

steel  (see  steel). 

Cement 38 

bag,  contents 102 

barrel,  contents 102 

chemical  analysis 82 

constancy  of  volume 101 

cost Ill 

inspection 99 

natural,  constancy  of  volume 103 

definition 102 

fineness 102 

tensile  strength 102 

packing 82 

physical  qualities 82 

Portland,  constancy  of  volume 104 

definitions 103 

fineness 103 

specific  gravity 103 

tensile  strength 103 

setting  qualities 82 

specifications 82,  102 

specific  gravity 101 

storage 82,  102 

tensile  strength .. 83 

testing 82 

Certified  checks  to  accompany  bids 123 

Charges,  architects'  scale 89 

engineers'  services 89 

Claims 30 

Clearances  in  steel  work 39 

Clearing  ground 68 

Commissary,  daily  report  blank 120 

Concrete,  daily  report  blank 119 

depositing 85 


INDEX  155 

PAGE 

Concrete  (continued). 

estimate  of  quantity 108 

finish 85 

forms 85 

mixing 84,  99 

specifications 84 

tamping 85 

work,  cost Ill 

Concrete-steel  construction 81 

specifications 81 

Consideration 11,  144 

Contract,  contracts: 

advertisements 128 

alterations 29,  78 

annulment 77 

bridge,  standard 17 

building 14,  78 

payments 15 

cancellation 30 

capacity  of  parties  to  make 145 

changes 29,  74 

classification 143 

consideration 11,  141 

construction  rules 149 

county,  standard 25 

definition 10 

discharged  by  performance 151 

dredging,  advertisement 130 

elements 18 

essentials 142 

government 15,  21 

advertisement 128 

grammatical  mistakes " 149 

interpretation 149 

last  clause 13 

law 142 

liquidation  damages 150 

made  by  corporations 146 

drunken  persons 146 

married  women 146 

object  legal 147 

of  record 143 

opening  clause 11 

operation 148 

ordinary  forms 10 

penalty 150 

railroad 28 


156  INDEX 

PAGE 

Contract,  contracts  (continued). 

released  by  bankruptcy 151 

signature 56 

special  forms 88 

under  seal 143 

uniform 14 

verbal 149 

work,  organization 133 

Contracting  department,  organization 134 

Contractor,  liability 31 

relation  to  engineer 1 

responsibility 78 

supervision 78 

Cooper's  specifications 35 

Corduroy  road 71 

Corporation  law  of  Nevada 91 

Corporations,  contracts  made  by 146 

Corrugated  iron  (see  iron). 

Cost  cement Ill 

corrugated  iron Ill 

dredges 110 

dredging 110 

estimate  blanks  for  bridges 113 

estimating 106,  109 

excavation 110 

forms  for  concrete Ill 

foundations Ill 

gravel Ill 

labor,  laying  concrete Ill 

laying  pipe Ill 

operation  of  steam  shovel 110 

report 109 

sand " HI 

steel HO 

steel  work Ill 

Covenant 28 

Culverts 71 

Daily  report  blanks 116 

Delays,  avoidable 77 

unavoidable 76 

Departments  organization 135 

daily  report  blank 121 

weekly  report  blank 122 

Derricks  daily  report  blanks 120 

Ditches  for  roads 70 

Drains  for  roads 70 

Dredges,  cost HO 


INDEX  157 

PAGE 

Dredging  advertisement  for  contract 129 

cost 110 

estimate  of  day's  work Ill 

of  quantity 108 

machine,  cost 110 

Earthwork  estimate  of  quantity 108 

Elastic  limit  various  materials  (see  name  of  material). 
Elongation  various  materials  (see  name  of  material). 

Engineer,  between  contractor  and  principal 5 

graduate,  advice  to  beginner 6 

need  of  business  training 2 

reception  by  practical  man 2 

start  as  inspector 95 

relation  to  contractor 1 

scale  of  charges 89 

Engineering  department  organization 134 

Erection  steel  work  specifications 47 

Estimates,  monthly 89 

Estimating 106 

blanks 106 

costs 106,  109 

paper 106 

system 107 

Excavation ".  • 69 

cost 110 

Foremen 8 

Forms  for  concrete,  cost Ill 

specifications 85 

Foundations,  cost Ill 

inspection 98 

specifications  (see  specifications). 

Field  organization 137 

work  specifications 53 

Fire  insurance 91 

Girders,  plate 41 

Government  contracts  (see  contracts) . 

Graduate  (see  engineer). 

Gravel  cost Ill 

specifications 84 

Grubbing • 69 

Guaranty 55 

to  accompany  proposal 65,  66 

Incorporation  articles 92 

Inspection 30 

bridge 95 


158  INDEX 

PAGE 

Inspection  (continued) . 

bridge  erection 97 

cement 99 

engineering  work 94 

facility  afforded  by  contractor 79 

foundations 98 

sand 99 

steel  at  mill 50 

in  rolling  mills 96 

in  shop 52 

stone 100 

structures 37 

Inspectors,  character 94 

for  engineer 4 

Instructions  for  bidders 55,  59,  68,  86 

Insurance,  fire 91 

liability 90 

Invoices 52 

Iron,  corrugated,  cost Ill 

span 42 

weight 40 

specifications 48 

character 45 

elastic  limit 46 

elongation : 46 

specifications 45 

standard  test  pieces 45 

tensile  strength 46 

Labor,  class  to  employ 8 

cost  report 109 

importation 55 

laying  concrete,  cost Ill 

Lacing  bars,  sizes 44 

Law  of  contracts 142 

corporation 91 

Liability  policy 90 

Lighting 35,  42 

Liquidated  damages : ...  13,  150 

Loading  bridge 36 

invoices 52 

Louvers 42 

Material  estimating 106 

in  rolling  mill,  inspection 96 

received,  daily  report  blank 116 

specifications 45 

Members  compression,  specifications 43 

tension,  specifications 43 


INDEX  159 

PAGE 

Mill  buildings,  specifications 34 

Mill  inspection 50 

tests 50 

Mount  Rainier  National  Park  Road,  specifications 68 

Mutual  agreement 147 

Natural  cement  (see  cement). 

Navy  Department  specifications  (see  specifications) . 

specifications  for  rolling  mill  products 48 

Nevada  corporation  law 91 

Offer  and  acceptance 142 

Office  organization 133 

Olympia  Harbor  dredging  specifications 54,  59 

Organization  of  contract  work 133 

Painting 35 

specifications 47 

steel  after  erection 53 

in  shop 52 

Paving  advertisement  for  bids 131 

Payments 80 

method 7 

Penalty 150 

Pile  driving 81 

daily  report  blank 118 

Piles,  specifications 81 

Pipe,  cost  of  laying Ill 

Plans,  checking  by  contractor 79 

relation  to  specifications 75 

Portland  cement  (see  cement). 

Price  various  materials  (see  name  of  material) . 

Proposal,  blank  form 126 

for  construction  of  a  road 74 

for  dredging 65 

forms : 124 

Pumping,  daily  report  blank 117 

Purchasing  department  organization 134 

Purlins 41 

specifications 43 

Quasi  contracts 151 

Railroad  contract  (see  contracts). 

Retaining  walls 70 

Riveting  specifications 44 

Rivets,  specifications 51 

steel,  specifications 48 

workmanship 45 


160  INDEX 

PAGE 

Roads,  construction  specifications 68 

surfacing 71 

Rolling  mill  products  Navy  Department  specifications 48 

Sand 38 

cost Ill 

inspection 99 

specifications 84 

Seal 14 

Sewers,  advertisements  for  bids 131 

Shipping  invoices 52 

Shop  inspection 52 

work  specifications 52 

Snow  load 34,  39 

Specification,  specifications: 

American  Railway  Engineering  and  Maintenance  of  Way  Association .  49 

anchor  bolts 44 

bed  plates 44 

bridge 36 

broken  stone 84 

Bureau  of  Docks  and  Yards,  for  rolling  mill  products. 48 

castings 37 

cement 82,  102 

clauses  which  make  trouble 6 

compression  members  in  trusses 43 

concrete 84 

concrete-steel 81 

Cooper's 35 

culverts 71 

definition 33 

ditches  for  roads 70 

dredging 54,  59 

favor  one  bidder 7 

forms  for  concrete 85 

foundations 38 

general  headings 33 

gravel 84 

iron 48 

labor 8 

lighting 35 

materials 45 

method  of  doing  work 6 

method  of  payment 7 

mill  buildings 34 

Navy  Department 54 

ordinary 

painting 35,  47 

piles 81 


INDEX  161 

PAGE 

Specifications  (continued) . 

purlins 43 

quay  wall 75 

relation  to  plans 75 

rivet  steel 48 

riveting 44 

rivets 51 

road  construction 68 

sand 84 

shop  work 52 

snow  loads 34 

steel 37 

buildings 39 

castings 48 

concrete 81 

erection 47 

roofs 39 

structural 48 

shop  work 50 

special  forms 54 

sway  bracing 44 

tension  members 43,  44 

War  Department 54 

wind  pressure 34 

writing 33 

wrought  iron 45,  48 

Spikes 38 

Statute  of  frauds 144 

Steam  shovel,  cost  of  operation 110 

Steel 37 

bending  strain 41 

castings,  specifications 48 

cost 110 

elastic  limit 46 

erection 53 

for  concrete  erection 53 

for  concrete,  specifications 81 

members,  unit  strains 41 

price 107 

properties 48 

rivet  specifications 48 

shearing  strain 41 

soft 46 

medium 46 

specifications 46 

standard  test  pieces 46 

structural  specifications  (Navy) 48 

tensile  strength 46 


162  INDEX 

PAGE 

Steel  (continued). 

tension  strains ~. 41 

testing  blank  form 105 

tests 49 

work  cost Ill 

Stone,  broken,  specifications 84 

inspection 100 

Storehouse  organization 136 

Subcontracts 32 

Superintendence  daily  report  blank 116 

of  work 136 

Surety 55 

Surfaces  workmanship 45 

Sway  bracing  specifications 44 

Synoptic  system  of  bookkeeping 135 

Tensile  strength  various  materials  (see  name  of  material). 
Tension  members  (see  members). 

Testing,  blank  form 105 

Timber  estimates  of  quantity 106 

unit  strains 41 

used  in  structure,  daily  report  blank 117 

Time  sheet 109 

Trains  daily  report  blank 120 

Transportation  department  organization 136 

Trusses,  weight 40 

Uniform  contract  (see  contract). 

Unit  bids,  comparison 127 

Unit  strains,  various  materials  (see  name  of  material). 

Ventilators 42 

Wages 8 

War  Department  specifications  (see  specifications). 

Weight  various  materials  (see  name  of  material) . 

Wind  loads 37,  40 

pressure 34 

Work,  method  of  doing 6 

organization 133 

superintendence 136 

Workmanship  specifications 45 

Wrought  iron  (see  iron). 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW 


AN  INITIAL  FINE  OF  25  CENTS 

WILL  BE  ASSESSED  FOR  FAILURE  TO  RETURN 
THIS  BOOK  ON  THE  DATE  DUE.  THE  PENALTY 
WILL  INCREASE  TO  SO  CENTS  ON  THE  FOURTH 
DAY  AND  TO  $1.OO  ON  THE  SEVENTH  DAY 
OVERDUE. 


NOV  24  1940 

APR  21  19,?  , 

- 

LD  21-100m-7,'40  (6936s) 

( 


9634 


7-4 /#o 


195041 


